Open AccessOccurrence of human hepatitis E virus in Norway rats: A zoonotic potential with great public health implications
Author(s) -
Nahed H. Ghoneim,
Khaled A. Abdel-Moein,
Dalia Hamza,
Naglaa Mohamed Hagag
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
asian pacific journal of tropical disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.208
H-Index - 33
ISSN - 2222-1808
DOI - 10.1016/s2222-1808(16)61116-7
Subject(s) - hepatitis e virus , virology , hepatitis e , public health , environmental health , human health , zoonotic disease , zoonosis , hepatitis a virus , virus , biology , medicine , pathology , biochemistry , gene , genotype , disease
Objective: To investigate the occurrence of human hepatitis E virus genotype I among sheep\udand rats as well as seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies\udamong people live in rural settings.\udMethods: Fecal samples were collected from 43 Norway rats and 30 sheep. All fecal samples\udwere examined for the presence of human hepatitis E virus genotype I through direct detection\udusing RT-PCR. In addition, serum samples collected from 90 apparently healthy persons live\udin rural settings were examined for the presence of hepatitis E virus IgG antibodies by using\udenzyme linked immunosorbent assay.\udResults: Out of 73 examined animals, human hepatitis E virus genotype I was detected in\udfive animals giving an overall prevalence 6.8% while only rats given positive results 11.6%.\udFurthermore, the overall seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus IgG antibodies among the\udexamined individuals was 63.3% while the seroprevalence in adults (75.0%) was higher than\udthat in children (34.6%).\udConclusions: The detection of human hepatitis E virus genotype I in the feces of Norway rats\udin such high prevalence highlights the possible role which may be played by such animal in the\udepidemiology of hepatitis E virus infections in rural settings where the virus is more prevalent\udamong human populations