De Sabato Luca, Ianiro Giovanni, Filipello Virginia, Arnaboldi Sara, Righi Francesco, Ostanello Fabio, Giammarioli Monica, Lavazza Antonio, Di Bartolo Ilaria
Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia-Romagna "Bruno Ubertini" (IZSLER), Via Antonio Bianchi, 7/9, 25124 Brescia, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 3;13(3):545. doi: 10.3390/ani13030545.
The zoonotic hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV-3) causes most autochthonous human hepatitis E cases in Europe, which are due to the consumption of raw or undercooked food products of animal origin. Pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoirs of this genotype, while rabbits are the reservoir of a distinct phylogenetic group named HEV-3ra, which is classified within the HEV-3 genotype but in a separate clade. Evidence for the zoonotic potential of HEV-3ra was suggested by its detection in immunocompromised patients in several European countries. HEV-3ra infection was found in farmed and feral rabbit populations worldwide and its circulation was reported in a few European countries, including Italy. Furthermore, Italy is one of the major rabbit meat producers and consumers across Europe, but only a few studies investigated the presence of HEV in this reservoir. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of HEV in 328 Italian hares and 59 farmed rabbits collected in 3 Italian macro-areas (North, North-Central, and South-Central), between 2019 and 2021. For this purpose, liver samples were used to detect HEV RNA using broad-range real-time RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR. Using 28 liver transudates from hares, the ELISA test for anti-HEV IgG detection was also performed. Neither HEV RNA nor anti-HEV antibodies were detected. Further studies will be conducted to assess the HEV presence in Italian lagomorphs to establish the role of this host and the possible risk of transmission for workers with occupational exposure, to pet owners and via food.
人畜共患的戊型肝炎病毒3型（HEV-3）导致了欧洲大多数本地戊型肝炎病例，这些病例是由于食用了生的或未煮熟的动物源性食品。猪和野猪被认为是该基因型的主要宿主，而兔子是一个名为HEV-3ra的独特系统发育群体的宿主，该群体被归类于HEV-3基因型，但在一个单独的分支中。HEV-3ra人畜共患潜力的证据来自于在几个欧洲国家免疫功能低下患者中对其的检测。在全球养殖和野生兔种群中发现了HEV-3ra感染，并且在包括意大利在内的一些欧洲国家报告了其传播情况。此外，意大利是欧洲主要的兔肉生产国和消费国之一，但只有少数研究调查了该宿主中戊型肝炎病毒的存在情况。本研究的目的是评估2019年至2021年间在意大利三个大区域（北部、中北部和中南部）收集的328只意大利野兔和59只养殖兔中戊型肝炎病毒的存在情况。为此，使用肝脏样本通过宽范围实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）和巢式RT-PCR检测戊型肝炎病毒RNA。还使用28份野兔肝脏渗出液进行了抗HEV IgG检测的酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）试验。未检测到戊型肝炎病毒RNA和抗HEV抗体。将进行进一步研究，以评估意大利兔形目动物中戊型肝炎病毒的存在情况，确定该宿主的作用以及职业暴露工人、宠物主人和通过食物传播的可能风险。
