Comparison of muscle fluid and serum for detection of antibodies against hepatitis E virus in slaughter pigs

Muscle fluid was investigated as an alternative to serum for detecting anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies in slaughter pigs. Samples of serum and diaphragmatic muscle juice from 67 pigs were analysed by anti-HEV IgG ELISA. Compared to the serum ELISA, the ELISA on diaphragmatic muscle fluid had a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 91.7%, a kappa value of 0.84 and a determination coefficient (R-2) of 0.77; both tests had global agreement of results. Muscle fluid can be used as an alternative to serum for serological detection of HEV antibodies in slaughter pigs. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.