Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Antibodies in Canadian Swine Herds and Identification of a Novel Variant of Swine Hepatitis E Virus

Overview

Journal Clin Diagn Lab Immunol

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2001 Nov 1

PMID 11687465

Citations 23

Authors

D Yoo

P Willson

Y Pei

M A Hayes

A Deckert

C E Dewey

R M Friendship

Y Yoon

M Gottschalk

C Yason

A Giulivi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Swine hepatitis E virus is a newly identified potentially zoonotic virus from pigs of particular concern for possible direct transmission to a human xenotransplant recipient by organ transplantation. In the present study, prevalence of serum antibodies to hepatitis E virus was examined in Canadian swine herds. A total of 998 serum samples collected from 6-month-old healthy slaughter hogs were examined by enzyme immunoassay and Western blot analysis for antibodies to the recombinant open reading frame 3 (ORF3) protein of hepatitis E virus expressed in Escherichia coli. These samples represented more than 80 different swine production units from five major swine-producing provinces across Canada. From this study, 594 samples (59.4%) were found to be positive for hepatitis E virus antibody. The seroprevalence was higher in Quebec (88.8%) and Ontario (80.1%) than in Alberta and Saskatchewan (38.3%). By PCR using a pair of oligonucleotide primers deduced from the ORF2 sequence of human hepatitis E virus, a specific hepatitis E virus sequence was recovered from feces of pigs. The nucleotide sequence identity between the U.S. swine hepatitis E virus and the Canadian isolate (SK3) was only 85.8%, suggesting that genotypic variations may exist in swine hepatitis E virus in North America. Among 165 serum samples collected from humans in Saskatchewan, 2.4% were found to be positive for antibodies to the hepatitis E virus ORF3 protein. Our data indicate that hepatitis E virus is highly prevalent in commercial swine populations in Canada and support the suggestion that the swine hepatitis E virus may be an important zoonotic agent for humans.

Citing Articles

Porcine-derived pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy may be linked to chronic hepatitis E virus infection in cystic fibrosis lung transplant recipients.

Thornton C, Waddell B, Congly S, Svishchuk J, Somayaji R, Fatovich L Gut. 2024; 73(10):1702-1711.

PMID: 38621922 PMC: 11420761. DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330602.

Serological Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Brazilian Equines.

Salgado C, do Nascimento E Silva A, Arruda I, Millar P, Amendoeira M, Leon L Microorganisms. 2023; 11(11).

PMID: 38004754 PMC: 10673136. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112743.

Prevalence of Foodborne Viruses in Berries Harvested in Canada.

Chatonnat E, Manseau-Ferland K, Jubinville E, Goulet-Beaulieu V, Jean J Foods. 2023; 12(4).

PMID: 36832797 PMC: 9955551. DOI: 10.3390/foods12040723.

The Foodborne Transmission of Hepatitis E Virus to Humans.

Treagus S, Wright C, Baker-Austin C, Longdon B, Lowther J Food Environ Virol. 2021; 13(2):127-145.

PMID: 33738770 PMC: 8116281. DOI: 10.1007/s12560-021-09461-5.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in the general population across non-endemic countries.

Wilhelm B, Waddell L, Greig J, Young I PLoS One. 2019; 14(6):e0216826.

PMID: 31173594 PMC: 6555507. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216826.

References

Hamid S, JAFRI S, Khan H, Shah H, Abbas Z, FIELDS H . Fulminant hepatic failure in pregnant women: acute fatty liver or acute viral hepatitis?. J Hepatol. 1996; 25(1):20-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8278(96)80323-0. View

Yoo D, Giulivi A . Xenotransplantation and the potential risk of xenogeneic transmission of porcine viruses. Can J Vet Res. 2000; 64(4):193-203. PMC: 1189617. View

Clayson E, Innis B, Myint K, Narupiti S, Vaughn D, Giri S . Detection of hepatitis E virus infections among domestic swine in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1995; 53(3):228-32. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1995.53.228. View

Karetnyi Y, Gilchrist M, Naides S . Hepatitis E virus infection prevalence among selected populations in Iowa. J Clin Virol. 1999; 14(1):51-5. DOI: 10.1016/s1386-6532(99)00037-2. View

Paul D, Knigge M, Ritter A, Gutierrez R, Pilot-Matias T, Chau K . Determination of hepatitis E virus seroprevalence by using recombinant fusion proteins and synthetic peptides. J Infect Dis. 1994; 169(4):801-6. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/169.4.801. View

Kwo P, Schlauder G, CARPENTER H, Murphy P, Rosenblatt J, Dawson G . Acute hepatitis E by a new isolate acquired in the United States. Mayo Clin Proc. 1997; 72(12):1133-6. DOI: 10.4065/72.12.1133. View

Pringle C . Virus taxonomy at the XIth International Congress of Virology, Sydney, Australia, 1999. Arch Virol. 1999; 144(10):2065-70. DOI: 10.1007/s007050050728. View

Favorov M, Khudyakov Y, Mast E, Yashina T, Shapiro C, Khudyakova N . IgM and IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus (HEV) detected by an enzyme immunoassay based on an HEV-specific artificial recombinant mosaic protein. J Med Virol. 1996; 50(1):50-8. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9071(199609)50:1<50::AID-JMV10>3.0.CO;2-1. View

Meng X, Purcell R, Halbur P, Lehman J, Webb D, Tsareva T . A novel virus in swine is closely related to the human hepatitis E virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997; 94(18):9860-5. PMC: 23282. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.18.9860. View

10.

Hsieh S, Meng X, Wu Y, Liu S, Tam A, Lin D . Identity of a novel swine hepatitis E virus in Taiwan forming a monophyletic group with Taiwan isolates of human hepatitis E virus. J Clin Microbiol. 1999; 37(12):3828-34. PMC: 85823. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.37.12.3828-3834.1999. View

11.

Hussaini S, Skidmore S, Richardson P, Sherratt L, Cooper B, OGrady J . Severe hepatitis E infection during pregnancy. J Viral Hepat. 1997; 4(1):51-4. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2893.1997.00123.x. View

12.

Johansson P, MUSHAHWAR I, Norkrans G, Weiland O, Nordenfelt E . Hepatitis E virus infections in patients with acute hepatitis non-A-D in Sweden. Scand J Infect Dis. 1995; 27(6):543-6. DOI: 10.3109/00365549509047064. View

13.

Chapman B, Burt M, Wilkinson I, Schousboe M . Community acquired viral hepatitis in New Zealand: a case of sporadic hepatitis E virus infection. Aust N Z J Med. 1993; 23(6):722-3. DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1993.tb04744.x. View

14.

Meng X, Halbur P, Shapiro M, Govindarajan S, Bruna J, MUSHAHWAR I . Genetic and experimental evidence for cross-species infection by swine hepatitis E virus. J Virol. 1998; 72(12):9714-21. PMC: 110481. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.72.12.9714-9721.1998. View

15.

Pina S, Buti M, COTRINA M, Piella J, Girones R . HEV identified in serum from humans with acute hepatitis and in sewage of animal origin in Spain. J Hepatol. 2000; 33(5):826-33. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8278(00)80316-5. View

16.

Erker J, Desai S, Schlauder G, Dawson G, MUSHAHWAR I . A hepatitis E virus variant from the United States: molecular characterization and transmission in cynomolgus macaques. J Gen Virol. 1999; 80 ( Pt 3):681-690. DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-80-3-681. View

17.

Balayan M . Hepatitis E virus infection in Europe: regional situation regarding laboratory diagnosis and epidemiology. Clin Diagn Virol. 1993; 1(1):1-9. DOI: 10.1016/0928-0197(93)90027-3. View

18.

Zaaijer H, Mauser-Bunschoten E, ten Veen J, Kapprell H, Kok M, van den Berg H . Hepatitis E virus antibodies among patients with hemophilia, blood donors, and hepatitis patients. J Med Virol. 1995; 46(3):244-6. DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890460313. View

19.

Tam A, Smith M, Guerra M, Huang C, Bradley D, FRY K . Hepatitis E virus (HEV): molecular cloning and sequencing of the full-length viral genome. Virology. 1991; 185(1):120-31. PMC: 7130833. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(91)90760-9. View

20.

Berke T, Matson D . Reclassification of the Caliciviridae into distinct genera and exclusion of hepatitis E virus from the family on the basis of comparative phylogenetic analysis. Arch Virol. 2000; 145(7):1421-36. DOI: 10.1007/s007050070099. View