Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Italy.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2020 Feb;67(1):62-69. doi: 10.1111/zph.12655. Epub 2019 Oct 8.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains belonging to the Orthohepevirus genus are divided into four species (A-D). HEV strains included in the Orthohepevirus A species infect humans and several other mammals. Among them, the HEV-3 and HEV-4 genotypes are zoonotic and infect both humans and animals, of which, pigs and wild boar are the main reservoirs. Viruses belonging to the Orthohepevirus C species (HEV-C) have been considered to infect rats of different species and carnivores. Recently, two studies reported the detection of HEV-C1 (rat HEV) RNA in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients, suggesting a possible transmission of rat HEV to humans. The role of rats and mice as reservoir of HEV and the potential zoonotic transmission is still poorly known and deserves further investigation. To this purpose, in this study, the presence of HEV RNA was investigated in the intestinal contents and liver samples from 47 Black rats (Rattus rattus) and 21 House mice (Mus musculus) captured in four pig farms in Northern Italy. The presence of both Orthohepevirus A and C was investigated by the real-rime RT-PCR specific for HEV-1 to HEV-4 genotypes of Orthohepevirus A species and by a broad spectrum hemi-nested RT-PCR capable of detecting different HEV species including rat HEV. The intestinal content from two Black rats resulted positive for HEV-C1 RNA and for HEV-3 RNA, respectively. None of the House mice was HEV RNA positive. Sequence analyses confirmed the detection of HEV-C1, genotype G1 and HEV-3 subtype e. The viral strain HEV-3e detected in the rat was identical to swine HEV strains detected in the same farm. Liver samples were negative for the detection of either rat HEV or HEV-3.
戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）株属于正肝病毒属，分为四个种（A-D）。属于正肝病毒 A 种的 HEV 株感染人类和其他几种哺乳动物。其中，HEV-3 和 HEV-4 基因型是人畜共患病原体，可感染人类和动物，其中猪和野猪是主要的储存宿主。属于正肝病毒 C 种（HEV-C）的病毒被认为感染不同物种的大鼠和食肉动物。最近，两项研究报道了在免疫功能低下和免疫功能正常的患者中检测到 HEV-C1（大鼠 HEV）RNA，提示大鼠 HEV 可能传播给人类。大鼠和小鼠作为 HEV 的储存宿主以及潜在的人畜共患病传播途径仍知之甚少，值得进一步研究。为此，本研究在意大利北部四个养猪场采集的 47 只黑鼠（Rattus rattus）和 21 只家鼠（Mus musculus）的肠内容物和肝脏样本中，用实时 RT-PCR 检测 HEV-A 种的 HEV-1 至 HEV-4 基因型，用广谱半巢式 RT-PCR 检测 HEV-A 和 C 种，检测不同的 HEV 种，包括大鼠 HEV。从两只黑鼠的肠内容物中分别检测到 HEV-C1 RNA 和 HEV-3 RNA。没有一只家鼠的 HEV RNA 阳性。序列分析证实了 HEV-C1、G1 基因型和 HEV-3 亚型 e 的检测。在大鼠中检测到的 HEV-3e 株与在同一农场检测到的猪 HEV 株相同。肝组织样本检测大鼠 HEV 或 HEV-3 均为阴性。
