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Persistence of hepatitis E virus in the liver of non-viremic naturally infected wild boar.

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Date

2017-10-09

Authors

Risalde, Maria A
Rivero-Juarez, Antonio
Romero-Palomo, Fernando
Frias, Mario
Lopez-Lopez, Pedro
Cano-Terriza, David
Garcia-Bocanegra, Ignacio
Jimenez-Ruiz, Saul
Camacho, Angela
Machuca, Isabel

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Public Library of Science
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0186858
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Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen with pigs and wild boar serving as reservoirs for human infection through direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of raw or undercooked pork products. The liver is considered the main target site of HEV replication in swine and an important organ in the pathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this study was to characterize the target liver cells for HEV entry in naturally infected wild boar and to evaluate the type and severity of the pathological changes in order to reach a better understanding of the hepatic pathogenic mechanisms involved in hepatitis E. In total, 58 livers from hunted wild boar were histopathologically evaluated. The presence of specific HEV antibodies in serum was determined by indirect ELISA. Immunohistochemistry was used for the detection of HEV antigen and Real time RT-PCR to detect HEV RNA in liver and serum. HEV seroprevalence in these animals was of 5.197% (CI95%: 1.77-14.14). By Real time RT-PCR, HEV was detected in the liver tissue of four wild boar (6.8%; CI95%: 2.7-16.4) and only one animal was also positive in serum (1.7%; CI95%: 0.3-9.1). The non-viremic animals naturally infected with HEV presented evidence of liver infection, mainly in Kupffer cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, without apparent associated hepatitis lesions. This study supports the hypothesis that low viral titers may persist in the liver of non-viremic individuals, giving thus the possibility of consumption of contaminated liver of animals diagnosed as HEV-negative in serum. Further immunopathogenic studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this process and to evaluate the protocols of HEV diagnosis in animals destined for human consumption.

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MeSH Terms

Humans
Liver
Red Meat
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Sus scrofa
Swine
Swine Diseases

DeCS Terms

Carne roja
Enfermedades de los oorcinos
Estudios seroepidemiológicos
Hígado
Porcinos

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Keywords

Animals, Animals, Wild, Hepatitis Antibodies, Hepatitis E, Hepatitis E virus

Citation

Risalde MA, Rivero-Juárez A, Romero-Palomo F, Frías M, López-López P, Cano-Terriza D, et al. Persistence of hepatitis E virus in the liver of non-viremic naturally infected wild boar. PLoS One. 2017 Nov 8;12(11):e0186858