Prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus antibodies in domestic animal from three representative provinces of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Four major genotypes of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been documented worldwide (1–4) with genotypes 1 and 2 found in human in Sub-Saharan Africa. Human Hepatitis cases due to HEV genotype 3 and 4 are zoonotic with various animal identified as possible reservoirs. Recently, HEV genotype 3 was found in pigs and human beings in West Africa, which may change the epidemic in human. Here, we assessed the prevalence of HEV antibodies in various domestic and wild mammalians in Burkina Faso. Random sampling was performed between 2015 and 2017 to collect serum from 100 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) , 19 hares ( Lepus africana ), 72 cattle (Bos taurus) , 75 sheep (Ovis aries) and 81 goats (Capra aegagrus) in three provinces in Burkina Faso. A multi-species ELISA was performed on serum samples from 328 domestic animals and 19 hunting hares. HEV total antibodies were identified in 121 out of 347 specimens (34.9% CI95% [29.9–39.9]). Sera from rabbits (60% CI95% [50.4–69.6]), hares (52.6% CI95% [30.2–75.1]), cattle (26.4% CI95% [16.2–36.6]), sheep (12.0% CI95% [4.6–19.4]), and goats (28.4% CI95% [18.6–38.2]) tested positive for antibodies anti-HEV. In this study we evidence presence of HEV antibodies in various mammalians and highlight the importance of these species in the epidemiology of HEV infection in Burkina Faso.

The Foodborne Transmission of Hepatitis E Virus to Humans

“…Other studies investigating HEV in cattle have produced negative or mixed results; a study in Beijing, China identified 29.4% of cattle were seroprevalent for HEV, but no HEV RNA could be detected (Chang et al 2009). A study in Burkina Faso also found 26.4% of 72 cattle to be seroprevalent for HEV (Ouoba et al 2019). Another study in Germany testing 400 milk samples found no evidence of HEV RNA, although G4 HEV is much less commonly reported in Europe than in Asia (Baechlein and Becher 2017).…”

“…In Turkey, 18.5% of goat milk samples were reported positive for HEV RNA (Demirci et al 2019 ). Meanwhile in Burkina Faso, 28.4% of 81 goats were found to have anti-HEV antibodies (Ouoba et al 2019 ). In the USA however, Sanford et al ( 2013 ) suggested that a HEV-related agent was causing HEV in goats after discovering a seroprevalence of 16% but a lack of any HEV RNA; however, this again calls into question the accuracy of HEV ELISAs.…”

Identification of a Putative Novel Genotype of Avian Hepatitis E Virus from Apparently Healthy Chickens in Southwestern Nigeria

“…In Nigeria, cases of human HEV outbreaks have been reported [ 30 , 31 ]. Further, serological evidence of HEV is known from swine, rabbits, goats, sheep, cattle [ 32 , 34 , 35 ], and a 14.6% seroprevalence of aHEV was recently reported in layer chickens in Nigeria [ 36 ]. Only one study conducted in Ogun and Lagos Statesfound aHEV RNA in chicken feces samples.…”

“…Hepatitis E is endemic in several low-income countries in Africa [ 29 ]. In Nigeria, HEV is associated with sporadic cases and outbreaks in humans [ 30 , 31 ] and serological evidence has been reported from swine, rabbits, goats, hares, sheep, cattle, and layer chickens [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Until recently, when aHEV seroprevalence of 14.6% was reported in commercial layer chickens in Southwestern Nigeria [ 36 ], there was no report of the detection of aHEV antibodies among the chicken population in Nigeria.…”

Epidemiological survey and risk factors associated with hepatitis E virus in small ruminants in southern Spain

“…• A wide spatial distribution of HEV was detected in small ruminant populations in southern Spain. multi-species ELISA has also been previously used in other ungulate species, including sheep and goats (Kukielka et al, 2015;Ouoba et al, 2019). The sensitivity and specificity of the assay have been established at 99.2%.…”