WJH World Journal of Hepatology Submit a Manuscript: https://www.f6publishing.com World J Hepatol 2019 January 27; 11(1): 37-49 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v11.i1.37 ISSN 1948-5182 (online) REVIEW Hepatitis in slaughterhouse workers Hassan Tariq, Muhammad Umar Kamal, Jasbir Makker, Sara Azam, Usman Ali Pirzada, Vaniza Mehak, Kishore Kumar, Harish Patel ORCID number: Hassan Tariq (0000-0002-9178-0342); Muhammad Umar Kamal (0000-0002-4323-3440); Jasbir Makker (0000-0002-1673-8515); Sara Azam (0000-0002-0962-6697); Usman Ali Pirzada (0000-0002-5908-8014); Vaniza Mehak (0000-0003-4934-9345); Kishore Kumar (0000-0002-9768-5354); Harish Patel (0000-0003-3638-9495). Author contributions: Tariq H contributed to the concept and design, drafting of the manuscript; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; Kamal MU contributed to the concept and design, drafting of the manuscript; revision of the manuscript; Makker J contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and the manuscript supervision; Azam S, Pirzada UA, Mehak V contributed to the drafting of the manuscript; Kumar K Critical contributed to the revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; Patel H contributed to the concept and design, drafting of the manuscript; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and the manuscript supervision. Conflict-of-interest statement: None of authors listed above have any conflicts to interest to disclose. Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) Hassan Tariq, Muhammad Umar Kamal, Jasbir Makker, Sara Azam, Usman Ali Pirzada, Vaniza Mehak, Kishore Kumar, Harish Patel, Department of Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, NY 10457, United States Hassan Tariq, Jasbir Makker, Kishore Kumar, Harish Patel, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, NY 10457, United States Corresponding author: Muhammad Umar Kamal, MD, Doctor, Department of Medicine, BronxCare Health System, 1650 Selwyn Ave, Suite #10C, Bronx, NY 10457, United States. muhammadumarkamal@gmail.com Telephone: +1-718-9601234 Fax: +1-718-9602055 Abstract Slaughterhouse workers (SHW) are at increased risk of hepatitis which can occur due to different organisms and should be investigated for viral, bacterial, and parasitic organisms. Slaughter house personnel including butchers are at a higher risk of infections from cuts and blood-letting, with the possible risk of the transmission of blood-borne pathogens to their colleagues. The objective of this review is to evaluate the common etiologies of hepatitis in SHW which will assist in the assessment of these patients presenting with transaminitis. Types of Microorganisms causing hepatitis with their reservoirs, routes of transmission, laboratory diagnosis, clinical features, treatment options and preventive strategies are included in this review. Proper investigation and awareness is of utmost importance as it causes significant financial constraints derived from workers health cost and from livestock production losses when the disease is confirmed. The work up is essential because infected workers might be a source of infections to other colleagues, family and the consumers. Key words: Hepatitis; Slaughterhouse workers; Liver infections; Transaminitis; Occupational safety; Abattoir ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Core tip: Butchers and other personnel of slaughterhouse belong to a high-risk occupation and are at increased risk of transmissible diseases. This group of patients presenting to the healthcare providers with hepatitis require extensive work up to find the causative agent. In this review article, we have searched a list of organisms associated with hepatitis in slaughterhouse workers. We have also proposed an algorithm for the evaluation and management of hepatitis in these workers. It is critical to work up WJH https://www.wjgnet.com January 27, 2019 Volume 11 Issue 1 37