Premium
Hepatitis E Virus Seroprevalence in Free‐Ranging Deer in Canada
Author(s) -
Weger S.,
Elkin B.,
Lindsay R.,
Bollinger T.,
Crichton V.,
Andonov A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.12462
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , hepatitis e virus , transmission (telecommunications) , biology , population , zoonosis , domestication , virology , veterinary medicine , geography , wildlife , environmental health , serology , ecology , medicine , genotype , immunology , antibody , biochemistry , gene , electrical engineering , engineering
Summary Hepatitis E virus infection ( HEV ) is an important public health concern not only in traditional endemic areas, but also in some industrialized countries where both domesticated and wild animals have been recognized as potential zoonotic reservoirs implicated in HEV transmission. While the prevalence of infection in the deer population in Europe and Asia has been thoroughly investigated, it remains largely undetermined in North America. We assessed the presence of HEV in three different species of free‐range deer in Canada. The seroprevalence of HEV among deer in Canada was 8.8% in white‐tailed deer, 4.5% in mule deer and 3.2% in caribou. Hepatitis E virus RNA was not detected. Overall, data indicate that HEV infection occurs in deer in Canada. The absence of viraemia and the low seroprevalence especially in barren‐ground caribou which is an important part of the diet in many northern communities suggests that the risk of zoonotic transmission may be less pronounced compared to other countries.