Objective:To explore the correlation between swine and human hepatitis E virus(HEV) in Jiangsu province. Methods:Specimens collected from HEV-IgM positive people of the general population,patients with acute hepatitis E and cholecyst from swine in the same area,were detected for HEV RNA by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). HEV-positive samples were further analyzed by direct nucleotide sequencing. Results:Among the HEV IgM carriers,8 positive cases were identified,and the subtype of HEV were type 1 and type 4. The majority cases of clinical sporadic HEV were type 4(95.24%). The HEV-positive rate of swine bile samples was 12.11%,and the virus genotype was type 4. The type 4 HEV of human and swine showed a high degree of homology(81%~97%). Conclusion:Both HEV-1 and HEV-4 were found in human in this area with the dominant type of HEV-4. All the swine HEV-positive samples showed HEV-4 genotype. The HEV-4 of human and swine in the Dongtai area showed a high degree of homology. These findings suggest that swine may be one of the main hosts of HEV in this region.