Blood Center of Shandong Province.
Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
Jpn J Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 21;72(6):429-431. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2019.129. Epub 2019 Jul 31.
Cynomolgus monkeys are important experimental animals for hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. In Japan, cynomolgus monkeys are mainly imported from Asian countries for use at animal facilities and institutions. However, the status of HEV infection in cynomolgus monkeys remains unclear. Overall, 187 pairs of serum and fecal samples were collected from cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) imported from China and Cambodia to detect anti-HEV immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibodies, as well as HEV RNA. Based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using HEV-like particles derived from genotype 3 HEV as the antigen, 183 of 187 (97.9%) and 102 of 187 (54.5%) samples tested positive for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. In contrast, all 45 serum samples collected from cynomolgus monkeys bred and grown at the Tsukuba Primate Research Center, Japan tested negative for both antibodies. However, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detected no HEV RNA in any of the 187 serum and fecal samples. These results strongly indicated that HEV infection is common in imported cynomolgus monkeys. A source of HEV-free monkeys for HEV studies is urgently needed.
食蟹猴是戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）感染的重要实验动物。在日本，食蟹猴主要从亚洲国家进口，用于动物设施和机构。然而，食蟹猴的 HEV 感染状况尚不清楚。总体而言，从中国和柬埔寨进口的 187 对食蟹猴（Macaca fascicularis）血清和粪便样本被用于检测抗 HEV 免疫球蛋白（Ig）G 和 IgM 抗体以及 HEV RNA。基于使用源自 3 型 HEV 的类病毒颗粒作为抗原的酶联免疫吸附试验，187 份样本中的 183 份（97.9%）和 187 份样本中的 102 份（54.5%）分别检测出抗 HEV IgG 和 IgM 抗体呈阳性。相比之下，在日本筑波灵长类研究中心饲养和繁殖的 45 份血清样本均检测出这两种抗体均呈阴性。然而，实时定量逆转录聚合酶链反应未在 187 份血清和粪便样本中检测到任何 HEV RNA。这些结果强烈表明 HEV 感染在进口食蟹猴中很常见。迫切需要一种无 HEV 猴的来源用于 HEV 研究。
