A strain of hepatitis E virus with DNA closely resembling that of the HEV found in one of three patients who died of the disease in Japan has been found in a pig in Tochigi Prefecture, researchers said Monday.
HEV can spread to both humans and animals, including pigs and sheep, and the finding is the first confirmation that an animal in Japan has contracted the virus.
But researchers said the connection between the HEV found in the pig and the virus contracted by the patient is still unknown.