Molini Umberto, Franzo Giovanni, de Villiers Lourens, van Zyl Leandra, de Villiers Mari, Khaiseb Siegfried, Busch Frank, Knauf Sascha, Dietze Klaas, Eiden Martin
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.
Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL), Windhoek, Namibia.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Jul 18;11:1422001. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1422001. eCollection 2024.
The present study investigated the seropositivity rate of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in domestic and working animals in Namibia, which included dogs, cats, horses, and donkeys. HEV poses a growing threat as a significant cause of human hepatitis globally and has several genotypes of varying zoonotic potential. As epidemiological data on the seroprevalence of HEV in Namibia is scarce, a serosurvey was conducted on archived serum samples of 374 dogs, 238 cats, 98 horses, and 60 donkeys collected between 2018 and 2022 from different regions, to assess the potential of these animals as sources of HEV infection. The findings revealed that 10.43% ( = 39/374) canine and 5.88% ( = 14/238) feline samples tested positive for HEV antibodies, whereas no seropositivity was detected in horses and donkeys. The study further examined the risk factors associated with HEV seropositivity, including animal sex, age, and geographical region, and noted a higher prevalence in dogs living in areas with intensive pig farming. Although there is no direct evidence indicating that these animals served as major reservoirs for HEV transmission to humans, the study underscores the importance of preventive measures to minimize contact exposure with pets considering the potential zoonotic risk, especially for susceptible risk groups. Further research is needed to explore the zoonotic potential of domestic animals and the epidemiological links between animal and human HEV transmissions in Namibia.
本研究调查了纳米比亚家畜和工作动物中戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）的血清阳性率，这些动物包括狗、猫、马和驴。作为全球人类肝炎的一个重要病因，HEV构成的威胁日益增大，并且有几种具有不同人畜共患病潜力的基因型。由于纳米比亚关于HEV血清流行率的流行病学数据匮乏，因此对2018年至2022年期间从不同地区收集的374份狗血清样本、238份猫血清样本、98份马血清样本和60份驴血清样本进行了血清学调查，以评估这些动物作为HEV感染源的可能性。研究结果显示，10.43%（n = 39/374）的犬类样本和5.88%（n = 14/238）的猫类样本HEV抗体检测呈阳性，而在马和驴中未检测到血清阳性。该研究进一步调查了与HEV血清阳性相关的风险因素，包括动物性别、年龄和地理区域，并注意到生活在集约化养猪地区的狗的患病率较高。尽管没有直接证据表明这些动物是HEV传播给人类的主要宿主，但考虑到潜在的人畜共患病风险，特别是对易感风险群体而言，该研究强调了采取预防措施以尽量减少与宠物接触的重要性。需要进一步研究以探索纳米比亚家畜的人畜共患病潜力以及动物和人类HEV传播之间的流行病学联系。
