Hepatitis A
Liver Virus
Introduction
Hep A is a virus that causes inflammation in the liver. Hep A is very rare in the U.S. with only 20,000 recorded diagnoses a year. Treatment for hep a is very easy and can usually be cured with rest and adequate hydration. If symptoms are severe there is an available vaccine for the virus.
How you are infected.
After entry into the host cell, the virus loses the capsid and the uncoated RNA enters the host cell to produce the virus without shutting off the cell. Then when the cell has created the maximum number of viruses the cell explodes unleashing the virus. The first step in the lytic cycle is the virus attaches to the cell and inserts it's genetic info into the cell. Next the genetic info is used to produce more and more viruses in the cell and then bursts.
Causes, Immune cells
Hep A is caused when contaminated food,water, or fecal matter enter the body .The hepatitis A virus, which causes the infection, usually is spread when a person ingests even tiny amounts of contaminated fecal matter. The hepatitis A virus infects liver cells and causes inflammation. The immune cells that are used to fight this virus are the adaptive cells. As normal t cells (the natural killer cell which kills non self pathogens), lymph, and white blood cells are also used.
Symptoms
Symptoms include- pain in the abdomen, joints, or muscles, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting, fatigue, fever, or loss of appetite, dark urine, itching, weight loss, or yellow skin and eyes.
Prevention, Treatment
There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Recovering from symptoms after an infection may be slow and may take several weeks or months. Therapy is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including drinking fluids that were lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. Improved sanitation, food safety and immunization are the most effective ways to fight hepatitis A. There is a vaccine to prevent hep a and gives lifelong immunity. There is no antiviral for hep a as it is often relived on its own.