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Prevalence and genetic features of rabbit hepatitis E virus in Korea
Author(s) -
Ahn HeeSeop,
Park ByungJoo,
Han SangHoon,
Kim YongHyun,
Kim DongHwi,
Kim BoSook,
Lee JoongBok,
Park SeungYong,
Song ChangSeon,
Lee SangWon,
Choi InSoo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.24875
Subject(s) - hepatitis e virus , virology , biology , phylogenetic tree , capsid , zoonosis , clade , caliciviridae , polymerase chain reaction , feces , virus , genotype , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , viral disease
Hepatitis caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a public health concern worldwide. HEV strains have been isolated from several animal species, some of which induce zoonosis. Recently, the isolation of HEV from rabbits was reported. Here, the partial capsid gene (320 bp) of HEV was detected in rabbit feces via reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Rabbit HEV was found in two of six rabbit farms and 17 of 264 rabbit fecal samples (6.4%). A phylogenetic analysis of the partial capsid gene classified the 17 HEV isolates into the putative rabbit HEV clade. A full genomic sequence, KOR‐Rb‐1, was obtained from one rabbit HEV isolate by 5′ and 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends‐PCR and RT‐PCR, and comprised 7275 bp excluding the 3′ poly(A) tail. It shared 77.5‐86.8%, 86.6%, and 80.2‐84.3% nucleotide identities with rabbit HEV isolates from China, the US, and France, respectively. It also shared 72.3‐73.0%, 71.4%, 76.7‐78.3%, 72.8‐73.3%, and 47.1‐47.2% nucleotide identities with representative strains of HEV‐1, HEV‐2, HEV‐3, HEV‐4, and avian HEV, respectively. A full‐genome phylogenetic analysis classified KOR‐Rb‐1 into the provisional rabbit HEV clade. This isolate could be used to study the pathogenesis and zoonotic potential of rabbit HEV.