Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
J Viral Hepat. 2021 Jan;28(1):186-195. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13387. Epub 2020 Sep 14.
Rabbit hepatitis E virus (HEV3-ra) is widely distributed in rabbits worldwide and several recent reports found that HEV3-ra can infect humans. Therefore, people exposed to rabbits are at high risk of HEV infection. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of HEV3-ra natural infection in rabbits. Seventy farmed rabbits (3-month-old) were surveyed in a farm in Beijing, China. Rabbits tested positive for HEV RNA were followed weekly for testing of HEV RNA, antigen, antibody and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level. Liver and kidney tissue was collected for histopathology. Complete genome sequencing of the isolated HEV3-ra strain was performed (CHN-BJ-r4, GenBank: MT364355). The infectivity of CHN-BJ-r4 was tested in ten naïve rabbits by intravenous injection or gavage. Anti-HEV antibody and HEV RNA were tested positive in 7.14% (5/70) and 11.4% (8/70) of rabbits, respectively. Eight naturally infected rabbits were followed, and 37.5% (3/8) of the observed rabbits were found to have fecal shedding of HEV ranging from 3-22 weeks with high viral load (10 -10 copies/g). Two out of eight rabbits showed temporary viremia. Naturally infected rabbits presented elevated ALT level, seroconversion, and liver histopathology. Complete genome of HEV3-ra isolated in this study shared 84.61%-94.36% nucleotide identity with known HEV3-ra complete genomes. The isolated HEV3-ra strain was infectious and could infect other rabbits through intravenous and fecal-oral route. Naturally infected rabbits showed up to 22-week fecal virus shedding with high viral load. These features increased the risk of rabbit-to-rabbit and rabbit-to-human transmission.
兔戊型肝炎病毒 (HEV3-ra) 广泛分布于世界各地的兔群中，最近有几项报告发现 HEV3-ra 可感染人类。因此，接触过兔子的人感染戊型肝炎病毒的风险很高。本研究旨在调查 HEV3-ra 自然感染兔的特征和结果。在中国北京的一个农场，对 70 只 3 月龄的养殖兔进行了调查。对检测到 HEV RNA 阳性的兔子每周进行 HEV RNA、抗原、抗体和丙氨酸氨基转移酶 (ALT) 水平检测。采集肝脏和肾脏组织进行组织病理学检查。对分离的 HEV3-ra 株进行了全基因组测序（CHN-BJ-r4，GenBank：MT364355）。通过静脉注射或灌胃，在 10 只易感兔中测试了 CHN-BJ-r4 的感染力。在 70 只兔中，分别有 7.14%（5/70）和 11.4%（8/70）的兔抗-HEV 抗体和 HEV RNA 检测呈阳性。对 8 只自然感染的兔子进行了随访，其中 37.5%（3/8）的观察兔子粪便中 HEV 持续排出 3-22 周，病毒载量较高（10-10 拷贝/g）。其中 2 只兔子出现短暂的病毒血症。自然感染的兔子出现 ALT 水平升高、血清转换和肝脏组织病理学变化。本研究分离的 HEV3-ra 的全基因组与已知的 HEV3-ra 全基因组的核苷酸同一性为 84.61%-94.36%。分离的 HEV3-ra 株具有感染性，可通过静脉和粪-口途径感染其他兔子。自然感染的兔子粪便中病毒排出可持续 22 周，病毒载量较高。这些特征增加了兔与兔、兔与人之间传播的风险。
