Presence of hepatitis E virus in a naturally infected swine herd from nursery to slaughter

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology Vol. 117; no. 2; pp. 160 - 166
• Main Authors: Leblanc, Danielle, Ward, Pierre, Gagné, Marie-Josée, Poitras, Elyse, Müller, Peter, Trottier, Yvon-Louis, Simard, Carole, Houde, Alain
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 30.06.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: age at slaughter; amplified fragment length polymorphism; Animal productions; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Consumer Product Safety; disease reservoirs; Disease Reservoirs - veterinary; Feces; Feces - virology; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food Microbiology; food pathogens; Foodborne pathogen; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepatitis E - epidemiology; Hepatitis E - transmission; Hepatitis E - veterinary; Hepatitis E virus; Hepatitis E virus - classification; Hepatitis E virus - immunology; Hepatitis E virus - isolation & purification; herds; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Meat - virology; microbial detection; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; on-farm food safety; Orthohepevirus A; Phylogeny; Plasma; Risk Factors; RNA, Viral - analysis; slaughter; slaughterhouses; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - transmission; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; viral diseases of animals and humans; viral hepatitis; Zoonoses; Plasma; Feces; Swine; Foodborne pathogen; Hepatitis E virus; Farming animal; Herd; Foodbome pathogen; Pig; Virus; Calicivirus; Vertebrata; Meat animals; Mammalia; Caliciviridae; Artiodactyla; Slaughter; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2007.03.008

Hepatitis E virus has recently been recognized as having zoonotic potential and could be transmitted from pig to human. Pigs are identified as a potential animal reservoir and HEV is highly prevalent in the swine population around the world. In this study, the presence of HEV was investigated in 51 subjects reared on a simulated commercial farm setting from the age of 2 weeks up to slaughter. Samples were collected on four occasions: at 2, 8, and 18 weeks and between 22–29 weeks of age. Anti-HEV IgG in plasma samples, presence of HEV RNA in plasma samples and feces were monitored. At 2 weeks of age, HEV RNA was detected in feces of 6 subjects (11.8%) but not in their plasma. At 8 weeks, HEV was detected in feces of 27 subjects (52.9%) and in plasma of one subject. At 18 weeks, HEV was detected in feces of 44 subjects (86.2%) and in plasma of 24 subjects (47.1%). At slaughter time (22–29 weeks), HEV was present in plasma of 6 subjects (11.8%) and in stools of 21 subjects (41.2%). Spread of the virus inside the population was evaluated by comparison of means (paired t-test, P < 0.05) of anti-HEV IgG ELISA results from the 4 bleedings. Significant differences were noted between the results of populations at 8 and 18 weeks and also between 18 and 22 to 29 weeks indicating an immune response to the virus. Based on the comparison of a 304 nucleotides sequence of the 5′ ORF 2 gene, all amplified fragments clustered in genotype 3a.