Background

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of viral hepatitis, primarily transmitted through the fecal-oral route, especially in regions with inadequate sanitation. It is a member of the Hepeviridae family and has four main genotypes, with genotypes 1 and 2 typically associated with outbreaks in developing countries, while genotypes 3 and 4 are linked to zoonotic transmission in developed countries. Symptoms of HEV infection include fatigue, jaundice, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite, with most cases resolving spontaneously. However, the virus can lead to severe complications, particularly in pregnant women, and chronic infection may occur in immunocompromised individuals. Continued research is vital to understand HEV's epidemiology and improve prevention and treatment strategies.

HEV-GLUE was developed at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) from 2015-2016. HEV was the first virus to which the GLUE software framework was applied. It provided a test of GLUE's capabilities, following the release of an early version of the framework. The project led to the implementation of a web-based HEV-GLUE resource, which was hosted by the CVR until 2022, but is no longer hosted there due to changes in research focus.

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