Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Global and Community Health, College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
Infect Genet Evol. 2020 Jul;81:104276. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104276. Epub 2020 Mar 5.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is zoonotic and endemic in several countries. There are no data on the farm level-prevalence and risk factors of HEV in ruminant farms in Jordan or elsewhere. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors of HEV in ruminant farms in all regions of Jordan.
A total of 460 apparently healthy ruminants from 115 (31 cow, 51 sheep and 33 goat) farms were tested for HEV antibodies using a double antigen sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent test. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data on animal health and husbandry practices.
The results showed that 37.4% of the dairy farms under study (51.6%, 37.2% and 24.2% of dairy cow, sheep and goat farms; respectively) had at least one HEV seropositive animal. At the individual animal level, 12.1% of the tested animals were HEV positive; 14.5% (n = 18), 12.7% (n = 26) and 8.3% (n = 11) of cows, sheep and goats; respectively. Infrequent cleaning of feeders was associated with a significantly greater odds of HEV seropositivity in both large and small dairy ruminant farms (AOR = 16.0, p-val = 0.03, AOR = 3.4, p-val = 0.02, respectively). Farms which reported that small ruminants (sheep and goats) were mixed together had a greater odds of farm-level HEV seroprevalence (AOR = 3.1, p-val = 0.04).
This study shows widespread and high farm-level HEV seroprevalence in dairy farms in Jordan. Husbandry practices and off-abattoir carcass processing in Jordan could amplify emergence and transmission of zoonotic HEV. Future studies should include HEV genotyping in ruminants, their products and humans to better understand HEV epidemiology in Jordan.
戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）在多个国家具有动物源性和地方性。目前尚无关于约旦或其他地区反刍动物养殖场 HEV 流行率和危险因素的数据。本研究旨在评估约旦所有地区反刍动物养殖场的 HEV 血清流行率和危险因素。
采用双抗原夹心酶联免疫吸附试验对来自 115 个（31 头奶牛、51 只绵羊和 33 只山羊）农场的 460 只貌似健康的反刍动物进行 HEV 抗体检测。使用经过验证的问卷收集有关动物健康和饲养管理实践的数据。
结果表明，在所研究的奶牛场中，有 37.4%（奶牛、绵羊和山羊农场分别为 51.6%、37.2%和 24.2%）至少有一只 HEV 血清阳性动物。在个体动物水平上，12.1%的检测动物呈 HEV 阳性；14.5%（n=18）、12.7%（n=26）和 8.3%（n=11）的奶牛、绵羊和山羊分别呈阳性。很少清洁饲料器与大、小奶牛反刍动物养殖场 HEV 血清阳性的可能性显著增加相关（AOR=16.0，p 值=0.03，AOR=3.4，p 值=0.02）。报告小反刍动物（绵羊和山羊）混合在一起的农场的 HEV 血清阳性农场的可能性更大（AOR=3.1，p 值=0.04）。
本研究表明，约旦的奶牛场普遍存在且 HEV 血清流行率较高。约旦的饲养管理实践和屠宰后胴体加工可能会放大人畜共患 HEV 的出现和传播。未来的研究应包括对反刍动物及其产品和人类的 HEV 基因分型，以更好地了解约旦的 HEV 流行病学。
