Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and are both globally prevalent in the pig population. While HEV does not cause clinical disease in pigs, its zoonotic potential has raised concerns in the food safety sector. PRRS has become endemic in the United Kingdom (UK) since its introduction in 1991, and continues to cause considerable economic losses to the swine industry. A better understanding of the current prevalence and diversity of PRRSV and HEV in the UK, and their potential association, is needed to assess risks and target control measures appropriately. This study used plasma, tonsil, and cecal content samples previously collected from pigs in 14 abattoirs in England and Northern Ireland to study the prevalence of several pathogens including PRRSV and HEV. The diversity of PRRSV strains detected in these samples was analyzed by sequencing open reading frame 5 (ORF5), revealing no substantial difference in PRRSV strains from these clinically unaffected pigs relative to those from clinical cases of disease in the UK. Despite the potential immuno-modulatory effect of PRRSV infection, previously demonstrated to affect Salmonella and HEV shedding profiles, no significant association was found between positive PRRSV status and positive HEV status.
Highlights
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the cause of hepatitis E in humans, typically a self-limiting hepatitis but more serious in those with pre-existing liver conditions and in the immunocompromised [1]
610 of these plasma samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to HEV, with 354 of these being sero-positive for Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV)
All PCR-positive samples were of genotype 1 (European), which is endemic in the United Kingdom (UK), and no genotype 2 virus, which is exotic to the UK, was detected
Summary
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the cause of hepatitis E in humans, typically a self-limiting hepatitis but more serious in those with pre-existing liver conditions and in the immunocompromised [1]. HEV infection alone does not cause clinical disease. HEV genotypes HEV-3 and HEV-4 are the cause of sporadic cases of hepatitis E in developed countries, and are ubiquitous in the pig population worldwide [2]. Hepatitis E is a foodborne zoonosis, for which pork or pork products from infected pigs is one of the risks identified in Europe [1,2] and consumption of processed pork products in the United Kingdom (UK) has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of acquiring HEV [3].
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