Rivero-Juarez Antonio, Risalde María A, Frias Mario, García-Bocanegra Ignacio, Lopez-Lopez Pedro, Cano-Terriza David, Camacho Angela, Jimenez-Ruiz Saul, Gomez-Villamandos Jose C, Rivero Antonio
Infectious Diseases Unit. Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba. Universidad de Córdoba, 2° Floor. Box 134.Avenida Menendez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
Animal Health Department. Veterinary Science College, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014, Cordoba, Spain.
BMC Vet Res. 2018 Feb 27;14(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12917-018-1377-4.
It has been shown that wildlife can serve as natural reservoirs of hepatitis E virus (HEV). The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is probably the main natural reservoir of HEV and could therefore represent an important route of transmission in Europe, especially in regions where game meat is widely consumed. We evaluated the prevalence of HEV infection in wild boar in the south of Spain, with the aim of identifying associated risk factors. A cross-sectional study that included hunted wild boar was carried out during the 2015/2016 hunting season (October 15 to February 15) in Andalusia (southern Spain). The outcome variable was HEV infection, defined as amplification of HEV RNA in serum by RT-PCR.
A total of 142 animals, selected from 12 hunting areas, were included and formed the study population. Thirty-three wild boars (23.2%; 95% CI: 16.8%-30.7%) were positive for HEV infection. Prevalence peaked in October and November, then gradually declined until the end of December. After multivariate analysis, only hunting date was independently associated with HEV infection across sex and age.
Our study found a relatively high prevalence of HEV infection in wild boar in the south of Spain, suggesting that prevalence may depend on the season when the animal is hunted. In consequence, the potential risk of zoonotic transmission could fluctuate.
已有研究表明野生动物可作为戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）的自然宿主。野猪（Sus scrofa）可能是HEV的主要自然宿主，因此在欧洲可能是一条重要的传播途径，尤其是在野味广泛消费的地区。我们评估了西班牙南部野猪中HEV感染的流行情况，旨在确定相关风险因素。在2015/2016狩猎季节（10月15日至2月15日）于安达卢西亚（西班牙南部）开展了一项纳入被猎杀野猪的横断面研究。结局变量为HEV感染，定义为通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）在血清中扩增出HEV RNA。
从12个狩猎区选取的142只动物纳入研究并构成研究群体。33只野猪（23.2%；95%置信区间：16.8%-30.7%）HEV感染呈阳性。感染率在10月和11月达到峰值，随后逐渐下降直至12月底。多变量分析后，仅狩猎日期在性别和年龄方面与HEV感染独立相关。
我们的研究发现西班牙南部野猪中HEV感染率相对较高，提示感染率可能取决于动物被猎杀的季节。因此，人畜共患病传播的潜在风险可能会波动。
