Hepatitis A and E are transmitted by contact with _ from infected individuals.

Explanation

Hepatitis A and E viruses are enterically transmitted viruses, meaning their natural route of spread is through the gastrointestinal tract. After infection, these viruses multiply in the liver but are shed in very high concentrations in the feces, especially during the acute phase. This heavy viral shedding contaminates food and water, which then serves as the main source of transmission. In contrast, their presence in blood or saliva is either absent or very minimal and not enough to establish efficient transmission. Moreover, these viruses are non-enveloped RNA viruses, which makes them highly stable in the environment and resistant to stomach acid, allowing them to survive passage through the digestive tract. On the other hand, they are not adapted to survive or spread effectively via blood or saliva, which is why the fecal-oral route remains the primary mode of transmission for Hepatitis A and E.