The role of quasi-enveloped hepatitis A virus in hepatitis A virus infection

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection affects the global population and is responsible for acute hepatitis. Although most acute HAV infections can resolve spontaneously, there are about 15,000–30,000 deaths occurring annually worldwide. Therefore, it is important to study the mechanism of HAV infection. Recent studies have shown that HAV can be cloaked in the host membrane and exit cells nonlytically. This unique form of HAV is called quasi-enveloped HAV (eHAV) and is infectious and resistant to neutralizing antibodies. eHAV makes HAV different from many picornaviruses and provides a new pathway to HAV infection. In this review, we briefly summarize the characteristics and functions of eHAV in HAV infection.