There is strong evidence that the virus AAV2, alongside an underlying genetic predisposition, played a key role in cases of acute hepatitis in children, according to a study published in Nature – the first detailed research investigation into the worldwide outbreak.

In this podcast, host Stephen Devlin takes a deep dive into this new publication with lead author Dr Antonia Ho, Bioinformatician Dr Richard Orton and Pathologist Dr Vanessa Herder. The peer-reviewed study, which was led by researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, Public Health Scotland (PHS) and ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium) WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK (CCP-UK), found that the common virus AAV2 (adeno-associated virus 2) was present in a range of different samples taken from children with acute unexplained hepatitis.

In contrast, AAV2 was not found to be commonly present in samples taken from children in the control groups. Researchers believe that AAV2 virus may have played a key role in the development of acute hepatitis in a small number of young children around the world.

Read the Nature publication 'Adeno-associated virus 2 infection in children with non-A-E hepatitis' here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05948-2