Hepatitis E virus detection in hunted wild boar (<em>Sus scrofa</em>) livers in Central Italy

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen, responsible for numerous cases of infection in humans. Transmission occurs through the orofecal route, and ingestion of contaminated foods represents an important risk factor for final consumer’s health. Wild animal species, in particular wild boar (Sus scrofa), are the main virus reservoirs; liver is the target organ, from which, through the hematic diffusion, HEV reaches different tissues and organs, as muscular one. The hygienic-sanitary critical issues connected with game meat food chain in general, and particularly wild boar, with special regards to any geographical area where this animal species can be directly in contact with humans, domestic ones (i.e., domestic pig), and other wild reservoirs (i.e., wild ruminants), finds favorable environmental conditions, have induced us to conduce the present scientific investigation. During the hunting season 2019/2020, a total of 156 wild boar livers were collected from provided plucks at slaughterhouse in Ascoli Piceno. Nested RT-PCR was used for the viral RNA detection. Results demonstrated a positivity of 5.12% (8/156), and the circulation in the screened area of genotype 3 subtype c, which is frequently identified in Central Italy. HEV sanitary relevance and the emerging role of any food chains in its transmission impose further detailed studies. The molecular screening of hunted wild boars’ livers can provide important information about virus’s circulation in wild animal populations in a specific area.

Hepatitis E Virus RNA Detection from Hunted Wild Boars in Central Italy: an Epidemiological Investigation

“…Diaphragmatic HEV detection was always correlated to the respective hepatic one. Conversely to the two previous epidemiological investigations, performed in the hunting season 2019/2020, after one year, it was observed a significant difference (chisquare value χ2: 21.5684 with a p-value < 0.0001) between positive animals: 5.12% (Ferri et al, 2022a) and 5.45% (Ferri et al, 2022b) with the 10.87% discovered by this study.…”

“…In agreement with the previous studies, performed in many Italian regions, the present scientific investigation discovered the subtype 3c. The HEV3c circulation, in the southern Marche region, was also observed by previous studies (Ferri et al, 2022a(Ferri et al, , 2022b performed in the same screened province (Ascoli Piceno), and in the adjacent Southern Central Italian areas (Aprea et al, 2018;Di Pasquale et al, 2019;Montagnaro et al, 2015).…”

“…This study aimed to screen the HEV RNA detection in 506 liver and diaphragm samples collected from hunted wild boars during the season 2020/2021 in the Southern Marche region (Central Italy, province of Ascoli Piceno). Following the previous epidemiological investigations [5,12% liver specimens resulted positive for HEV RNA detection (Ferri et al, 2022a) and 5.45% (Ferri et al, 2022b)] performed in the same province, the obtained results wanted to provide original data regarding HEV circulation highlighting possible changes regarding genotype or subtypes diffusion, after one year.…”

Presence of porcine cytomegalovirus, a porcine roseolovirus, in wild boars in Italy and Germany

“…Wild boars can serve as reservoirs for a number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are transmissible to humans and domestic animals through direct interaction with the animals, through contaminated food, or indirectly through contamination in the environment [ 23 , 24 ]. Numerous viruses have been detected in European wild boars, such as porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) in Italy [ 25 , 26 ], Ukraine [ 27 ], and Portugal [ 28 ], porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) in Germany [ 29 ], Spain [ 30 ], Italy [ 25 , 26 , 31 ], and Austria [ 32 ], HEV-3 in Spain [ 33 , 34 ], Germany [ 35 , 36 ], Italy [ 37 – 39 ], Poland [ 40 , 41 ], Bulgaria [ 42 ], and Serbia [ 43 ], porcine lymphotropic herpes viruses 1, 2, and 3 (PLHV-1, -2, -3) in Austria [ 32 ], porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) in Italy [ 44 ], and suid herpes virus 1 (SuHV-1 or pseudorabies virus, PrV) in Italy [ 45 ], Slovenia [ 46 ], Switzerland [ 47 ], and Germany [ 48 , 49 ].…”

Prevalence of the porcine cytomegalovirus virus (PCMV), a porcine roseolovirus, in wild boars in Italy and Germany

“…Wild boars can serve as reservoirs for a number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which are transmissible to humans and domestic animals through direct interaction with the animals and through contaminated food or indirectly through contaminated environment [21,22]. Numerous viruses have been detected in European wild boars such as PCV2 in Italy [23,24], Ukraine [25], and Portugal [26], PCV3 in Germany [27], Spain [28], Italy [23,24,29], and Austria [30], HEV in Spain [31,32], Germany [33,34], Italy [35][36][37], Poland [38,39], Bulgaria [40], and Serbia [41], porcine lymphotropic herpes viruses − 1, -2, and − 3 (PLHV-1, -2, -3) in Austria [30], porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) in Italy [42], as well as suid herpes virus 1 (SuHV-1 or pseudorabies virus, PrV) in Italy [43], Slovenia [44], Switzerland [45] and Germany [46,47].…”