Journal
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 126, Issue 1-3, Pages 74-81Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.07.004
Keywords
hepatitis E virus (HEV); wild boar; nested-RT-PCR
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of Hepatitis E. Swine and human HEV strains are genetically related, suggesting the occurrence of zoonotic transmission. Recently, in Japan, cases of food-borne HEV transmission have been described in people after consuming raw or undercooked meat from wild boars or pigs. Although, swine HEV strains have been detected in pig herds in many European countries, only minimal information is presently available about the circulation and the prevalence of HEV in wild boars in Europe. In this study, we investigated the presence of HEV in a demographic managed wild boar population in Italy. Detection of HEV RNA was accomplished using a nested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction on bile samples from 88 shot animals. HEV RNA was detected in 22 out of 88 animals tested (25%). Phylogenetic analysis on the nucleotide sequences obtained from 10 positive PCR products indicated that only one HEV strain was circulating in the wild boar population considered, and that this strain was closer to human and swine HEV strains circulating in Europe than to wild boar Japanese strains. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available