engleski

Differences in hepatitis E virus (HEV) presence in naturally infected seropositive domestic pigs and wild boars - an indication of wild boars having an important role in HEV epidemiology

Hepatitis E (HE) is an emerging public health problem in developed countries worldwide. Nowadays, it is known that the hepatitis E virus (HEV) has zoonotic potential, whereas domestic pigs and wild boars are recognized as the true reservoirs of the disease. Therefore, the aim of our study was to define the seroprevalence and viral persistence of HEV in pigs and wild boars in Croatia. In total, 1424 samples originating from domestic pigs from 14 counties, and 1000 samples of wild boar origin, collected from 16 counties, were tested during 2016 for the presence of HEV antibodies using a commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All positive samples, as well as samples originating from in-contact domestic pigs and wild boars, were further tested for the presence of HEV RNA using a real time RT -PCR protocol, followed by a nested RT-PCR protocol as a confirmatory test. In 11 of 14 counties, 469 seropositive domestic pigs were found with an overall seroprevalence of 32.94% (95% CI 30.55-35.42), ranging from 8.33% to 60.00%, depending on their geographical origin. Seropositive wild boars were found in six out of 16 counties, showing an overall seroprevalence of 31.10% (95%CI 28.31-34.04%), ranging from 7.70% to 50.60%. The highest seroprevalence was found in the Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja Counties (North-East Croatia) where pig breeding dominates and the highest density of wild boars is recorded. While no positive HEV RNA samples were detected in tested domestic pigs, seventeen serologically positive wild boars (11.33% ; 95%CI 7.19-17.14) younger than one year of age were found to be HEV RNA positive, indicating chronic infection and possible prolonged virus spread into the environment. The detected viral presence despite the immune response indicates that wild boars have a key role in HEV epidemiology

hepatitis E, domestic pig, wild boar, seroprevalence, viremia

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