TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Hepatitis A A1 - Montgomery, Martha P. A1 - Weng, Mark A1 - Purdy, Michael A. A1 - Hofmeister, Megan G. A2 - Boulton, Matthew L. A2 - Wallace, Robert B. PY - 2022 T2 - Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 16e AB - Reports of illness resembling hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection were described in Greek writings from the fourth century BC.1 Once referred to as epidemic jaundice, catarrhal jaundice, and infectious hepatitis, hepatitis A outbreaks have been well documented since the eighteenth century.1 In 1973, hepatitis A viral particles were visualized for the first time using electron microscopy and were identified as the etiologic agent of hepatitis A.2,3 These findings led to the development of diagnostic tests that could differentiate acute from past HAV infection, the propagation of HAV in cell culture, and the development and licensure of hepatitis A vaccines. HAV spreads primarily by the fecal-oral route, either by direct contact with an infected individual or through consumption of contaminated food or water. In 2015, the World Health Organization estimated that 1.4 million hepatitis A cases occur globally each year.4 SN - PB - McGraw Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182664774 ER -