Abstract
BackgroundHepatitis E virus (HEV) transmitted via the oral route through the consumption of contaminated water or uncooked or undercooked contaminated meat has been implicated in major outbreaks. Rats may play a critical role in HEV outbreaks, considering their negative effects on environmental hygiene and food sanitation. Although the serological evidence of HEV infection in wild rodents has been reported worldwide, the infectivity and propagation of HEV in wild rats remain unknown. To investigate if rats are a possible carrier of HEV, we studied wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) that were caught near a pig farm, where HEV was prevalent among the pigs.MethodsWe examined 56 Norway rats for HEV. RNA from internal organs was examined for RT-PCR and positive samples were sequenced. Positive tissue samples were incubated with A549 cell line to isolate HEV. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected by ELISA.ResultsSixteen rats were seropositive, and the HEV RNA was detected in 10 of the 56 rats. Sequencing of the partial ORF1 gene from 7 samples resulted in partially sequenced HEV, belonging to genotype 3, which was genetically identical to the HEV prevalent in the swine from the source farm. The infectious HEVs were isolated from the Norway rats by using the human A549 cell line.ConclusionsThere was a relatively high prevalence (17.9%) of the HEV genome in wild Norway rats. The virus was mainly detected in the liver and spleen. The results indicate that these animals might be possible carrier of swine HEV in endemic regions. The HEV contamination risk due to rats needs to be examined in human habitats.
Highlights
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmitted via the oral route through the consumption of contaminated water or uncooked or undercooked contaminated meat has been implicated in major outbreaks
To investigate whether rodents can serve as reservoirs of porcine HEV, we examined HEV infection in wild rats caught around a pig farm where HEV infection was prevalent
We captured 56 wild Norway rats at 6 different locations around a pig farm where HEV was detected among the pigs
Summary
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmitted via the oral route through the consumption of contaminated water or uncooked or undercooked contaminated meat has been implicated in major outbreaks. Rats may play a critical role in HEV outbreaks, considering their negative effects on environmental hygiene and food sanitation. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a causative agent of viral hepatitis transmitted via the oral route in humans. Pregnancy and underlying liver diseases are considered risk factors for severe cases of HEV [1,2] and high mortality rates have been reported among pregnant women [3,4,5,6]. Chronic hepatitis associated with HEV was recently reported in organ transplant recipients [7]. The 7.2-kb genome of HEV is composed of 3 open reading frames (ORFs): ORF1 (a non-structural protein), ORF2 (a capsid protein), and ORF3 (accessory proteins associated with virion cellular protein kinase activity and virion release) [9,10,11,12]
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