Abstract
We evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the pork production chain in Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain during 2010. A total of 337 fecal, liver, and meat samples from animals at slaughterhouses were tested for HEV by real-time quantitative PCR. Overall, HEV was higher in Italy (53%) and Spain (39%) than in Czech Republic (7.5%). HEV was detected most frequently in feces in Italy (41%) and Spain (39%) and in liver (5%) and meat (2.5%) in Czech Republic. Of 313 sausages sampled at processing and point of sale, HEV was detected only in Spain (6%). HEV sequencing confirmed only g3 HEV strains. Indicator virus (porcine adenovirus) was ubiquitous in fecal samples and absent in liver samples and was detected in 1 slaughterhouse meat sample. At point of sale, we found porcine adenovirus in sausages (1%-2%). The possible dissemination of HEV and other fecal viruses through pork production demands containment measures.
Highlights
We evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the pork production chain in Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain during 2010
Positive swabs (3 knives, 2 floor, 1 belt surface) contained both HEV and PAdV, indicating potential fecal contamination during slaughtering steps, whereas 0 of 5 HEV-positive samples at processing and points of sale sites was positive for PAdV, disproving possible fecal cross-contamination during later production phases (Table 2)
The 6 Czech Republic slaughterhouse effluent samples were negative for both PAdV and HEV
Summary
We evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the pork production chain in Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain during 2010. HEV was detected most frequently in feces in Italy (41%) and Spain (39%) and in liver (5%) and meat (2.5%) in Czech Republic. Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is >60% in rural southern People’s Republic of China [2] and 4%–10% in western Europe [3] and the United States [4] In these areas, hepatitis E occurs mostly as sporadic cases [5,6,7], but epidemics have been described [8]. Studies conducted in Spain [8,13,14], Italy [15], and France [16] have detected HEV genomic RNA in livers of pigs of slaughtering age, indicating that HEV-contaminated food might reach supermarkets [17]. For HEV, quantitative approaches are hardly accessible because of the absence of reliable cell culture systems for viral infectivity titration
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