Detection and molecular characterization of hepatitis E virus in clinical, environmental and putative animal sources

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 157; no. 12; pp. 2363 - 2368
• Main Authors: Ishida, Setsuko, Yoshizumi, Shima, Ikeda, Tetsuya, Miyoshi, Masahiro, Goto, Akiko, Matsubayashi, Keiji, Ikeda, Hisami
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.12.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: analogs & derivatives; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood & organ donations; Brief Report; classification; Deer; Disease Reservoirs; Disease Reservoirs - virology; epidemiology; Food Microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; genetics; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Health facilities; Hepatitis; Hepatitis E; Hepatitis E - epidemiology; Hepatitis E - veterinary; Hepatitis E - virology; Hepatitis E virus; Hepatitis E virus - classification; Hepatitis E virus - genetics; Hogs; Humans; Infections; Infectious Diseases; isolation & purification; Japan; Japan - epidemiology; Liver; Liver - virology; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Norgestrel; Norgestrel - analogs & derivatives; Orthohepevirus A; Ostreidae; Ostreidae - virology; Oysters; Phylogeny; Rivers; Rivers - virology; RNA; RNA, Viral; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; Seawater; Seawater - virology; sewage; Sewage - virology; Swine; Swine Diseases; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - virology; veterinary; Virology; Viruses; Japan; Germany; HEV; Hepatitis; Genotype; Virus; Environment; Calicivirus; Detection; Caliciviridae; Hepatitis E virus
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-012-1422-8

Putative animal reservoirs and environmental samples were studied to investigate potential routes of transmission for indigenous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 468 liver samples and 954 environmental samples were collected from 2003 to 2011 for this study. Four swine livers (1 %) were positive for HEV RNA; two strains belonged to genotype 3 and the other two strains were genotype 4. Genotype 3 HEV was detected in a sewage sample and a seawater sample. HEV strains derived from swine liver, seawater and raw sewage samples shared 93-100 % sequence similarity with human HEV strains.