The first case of genotype 4 hepatitis E related to wild boar in South Korea

Several cases of serologically diagnosed hepatitis E have been reported in South Korea; however, there have been no documented cases of zoonotic transmission with virologic characterization of hepatitis E virus (HEV). We report on a sporadic case of autochthonous acute hepatitis E after ingestion of raw bile juice obtained from a wild boar living on a domestic mountain in a southern part of Korea. It is the first case of hepatitis E acquired through presumably zoonotic transmission, which was verified as genotype 4 HEV.