Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 4 in Yak, Northwestern China

Fang, Xu; Baloch, Abdul Rasheed; Tian, Lili; Wang, Meng; Wang, Na; Ding, Lingqiang; Zeng, Qiaoying

doi:10.3201/eid2012.131599

Cited by 29 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The susceptibility of ruminants to certain HEV strains was demonstrated recently by molecular analyses (Hu & Ma, ; Huang et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ) and there is increasing evidence of a close phylogenetic relationship between human and ruminant HEV strains (Di Martino et al, ; Hu & Ma, ; Huang et al, ; Long et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ). Here, we provide first sero‐epidemiological evidence that ruminants are a potential source of zoonotic HEV in rural Lao PDR, where human and livestock habitats largely overlap.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Other sources of infection are contaminated animal products, such as raw meat (Meng, ) and possibly milk (Baechlein & Becher, ; Drobeniuc et al, ; Huang et al, ). Pigs are considered the main reservoir of zoonotic HEV (Meng, ), but several independent studies provided recent serological and molecular evidence of HEV circulation in cattle and goats (Arankalle et al, ; Di Martino et al, ; Dong et al, ; El‐Tras, Tayel, & El‐Kady, ; Fu et al, ; Geng et al, , ; Huang et al, ; Long et al, ; Sanford et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ; Zhang et al, ). So far, all isolates from cattle clustered with genotype 4 strains, while both genotypes 3 and 4 strains were found in goats (Di Martino et al, ; Hu & Ma, ; Huang et al, ; Long et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pigs are considered the main reservoir of zoonotic HEV (Meng, ), but several independent studies provided recent serological and molecular evidence of HEV circulation in cattle and goats (Arankalle et al, ; Di Martino et al, ; Dong et al, ; El‐Tras, Tayel, & El‐Kady, ; Fu et al, ; Geng et al, , ; Huang et al, ; Long et al, ; Sanford et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ; Zhang et al, ). So far, all isolates from cattle clustered with genotype 4 strains, while both genotypes 3 and 4 strains were found in goats (Di Martino et al, ; Hu & Ma, ; Huang et al, ; Long et al, ; Xu et al, ; Yan et al, ). In Lao PDR, HEV strains circulating in the population have not been characterized, despite confirmed endemicity of HEV in humans and pigs (Blacksell et al, ; Conlan et al, , ; Holt et al, ; Syhavong et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence of increased Hepatitis E virus exposure in Lao villagers with contact to ruminants

Tritz

Khounvisith²,

Pommasichan

et al. 2018

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Although pigs are the main reservoir, ruminants have also been shown to be susceptible to hepatitis E virus (HEV). We investigated zoonotic transmission of HEV in rural settings of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) where humans are in close contacts with ruminants and where pigs are rare. Villagers with (n = 171, risk group) and without (n = 155, control group) cattle were recruited in seven villages in Vientiane Capital. Owners of pigs were excluded. Blood, as well as information on socio-demographics, animal contact, dietary habits and awareness of zoonoses were collected to assess risk factors. Blood and rectal swabs were collected from cattle (n = 173) and other ruminants (27 goat, 5 buffaloes) to measure anti-HEV antibody and virus prevalence. A similar anti-HEV antibody seroprevalence was found in cattle (6.8%) and other ruminants (8%). HEV RNA was detected in none of the animal rectal swabs and human sera. Anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence was higher in cattle farmers than in the control group (59.1% vs. 43.9%, p = 0.008) and increased significantly with age. Other risk factors included male gender, close contact with cattle and consumption of undercooked meat. We find that HEV is highly endemic in rural Laos and provide first evidence that HEV circulates in free-roaming ruminants with open access to village water sources. Despite some awareness about hygiene, villagers are likely constantly exposed to zoonotic diseases by dietary and lifestyle habits. Cattle farmers had a higher risk of HEV infection than other villagers. Our study highlights the need to raise the awareness of the rural population about water- and food-borne pathogens, and about the role of cattle as a possible source of infection. The knowledge gained on local risk factors and husbandry conditions should guide future awareness raising campaigns and promote appropriate hygienic measures including handwashing and the consumption of safe food and water.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evidence of increased Hepatitis E virus exposure in Lao villagers with contact to ruminants

Tritz

Khounvisith²,

Pommasichan

et al. 2018

Zoonoses and Public Health

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“…The cold and harsh environment might be another factor that affects the transmission and infection of pathogens and caused a lower prevalence of PDCoV and PEDV in Tibetan pigs. Yaks, another livestock living in the same environment as Tibetan pigs, also have a lower prevalence of Hepatitis E virus (HEV)(Xu et al., ) and bovine hokovirus (Xu et al., ). Both these studies show the effects of environment to pathogens transmission and infection, and these factors should not be ignored in future studies, especially in studies of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection and genetic characterization of porcine deltacoronavirus in Tibetan pigs surrounding the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China

Wang

Baloch

et al. 2018

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a recently discovered RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae and genus Deltacoronavirus. This virus causes enteric disease in piglets that is characterized by enteritis and diarrhoea. In our present investigation, 189 diarrhoeic samples were collected between July 2016 and May 2017 from Tibetan pigs inhabiting in three different provinces surrounding the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. We then applied the molecular-based method of reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCRs) to detect the presence of PDCoV in collected samples, and RT-PCR indicated that the prevalence of PDCoV was 3.70% (7/189) in Tibetan pigs. Four of 7 PDCoV-positive pigs were monoinfections of PDCoV, three samples were co-infections of PDCoV with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), and 52 (27.51%) samples were positive for PEDV. Four strains with different full-length genomes were identified (CHN/GS/2016/1, CHN/GS/2016/2, CHN/GS-/2017/1 and CHN/QH/2017/1), and their genomes were used to analyse the characteristics of PDCoV currently prevalent in Tibetan pigs. We found a 3-nt insertion in the spike gene in four strains in Tibetan pigs. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome and spike and nucleocapsid gene sequences revealed that these strains shared ancestors with the strain CHN-AH-2004, which was found in pigs from the Anhui province of China mainland. However, PDCoV strains from Tibetan pigs formed different branches within the same cluster, implying continuous evolution in the field. Our present findings highlight the importance of epidemiologic surveillance to limit the spread of PDCoV in livestock at high altitudes in China.

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“…HEV has been identified in a wide range of animals, and swine is the primary reservoir ( 2 ). In cattle, HEV strains have been recently described in yak ( 3 ), Holstein cows and their milk ( 4 ), and dairy cows in Xinjiang Province, China ( 5 ), but not in other cattle. Yellow cattle ( Bos taurus ), the predominant breed (≈80%) in China ( 6 ), widely distributed over the country, and commonly used for meat and milk production or as a draft animal, could act as a potential HEV reservoir.…”

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confidence: 99%