The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a spherical, non-enveloped virion with a linear single-stranded RNA genome of 7.2 kb. Three proteins (O1, O2, O3) are encoded that are further processed. Four genotypes are documented for HEV. This virus is transmitted mainly through the fecal-oral route and from contaminated food. There are an estimated 20 million HEV infections annually, with 44,000 deaths in 2015 from hepatitis E.