Detection and Characterization of Hepatitis E Virus in Domestic Pigs of Different Ages in Portugal

Abstract

This study represents the primary hepatitis E virus (HEV) surveillance in domestic pigs in Portugal, five pig farms were investigated in 5 different Portuguese regions, ten faecal samples were collected at four different stages of the production. All faecal samples were tested for hepatitis E virus by real-time RT-PCR. At least one sample from each farms of all age groups tested positive for HEV. The prevalence in the pig herds varied from 10% to 30% and the mean prevalence was 32% in weaners, 20% in growers, 32% in fatteners and 4% in adult dry sows. Phylogenetic analysis of the detected HEV sequences indicated that the circulating virus strains belong under the genotype 3.

Effect of swine hepatitis E virus on the livers of experimentally infected Mongolian gerbils by swine hepatitis E virus

“…HEV is generally transmitted through a fecal-oral route (Worm et al, 2002;Hsieh et al, 1999). According to seroprevalence surveys, the numbers of unrecognized or subclinical infections are under-estimated in many countries (Ijaz et al, 2005;Xiao et al, 2012;Berto et al, 2012;Hakze-van der Honing et al, 2011). Because anti-HEV antibodies have been detected in wild and domestic rats, rodents are considered a potential reservoir of HEV (Kabrane-Lazizi et al, 1999;Huang et al, 2009;Maneerat et al, 1996).…”

From the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus (HEV) within the swine reservoir to public health risk mitigation strategies: a comprehensive review

“…These studies showed that the prevalence of HEV RNA in swine faeces and serum depend on the production stage, i.e. the pig’s age (Additional file 2 [14, 15, 18, 21, 57, 66, 86–89, 91–93, 95, 96, 104, 108, 109, 113, 114, 118–120, 133, 135, 136, 140–150]). A broad shedding period from 1.5 to 5 months of age was globally reported at farm scale.…”

Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 4 in Yak, Northwestern China

“…To the Editor: Hepatitis E virus (HEV; family Hepeviridae , genus Hepevirus ) is a positive-stranded RNA virus with a genome of ≈7.2 kb that contains 3 open reading frames ( 1 , 2 ). On the basis of sequence analysis, mammalian HEVs are classified into 4 recognized genotypes ( 3 , 4 ).…”