Open AccessHepatitis E Virus seroprevalence among cows in a rural area of southern Italy
Author(s) -
Michela Pugliese,
Rocky La Maestra,
Annalisa Guercio,
Giuseppa Purpari,
Santina Di Bella,
S. Vullo,
P. P. Niutta
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
veterinarski arhiv
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1331-8055
pISSN - 0372-5480
DOI - 10.24099/vet.arhiv.0920
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , hepatitis e virus , serology , veterinary medicine , hepatitis e , antibody , epidemiology , medicine , virology , biology , immunology , genotype , biochemistry , gene
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered to be an emerging zoonotic disease, which causes numerous cases of hepatitis and deaths worldwide each year. Pigs are a host reservoir of HEV, but numerous other wild and domestic species can be infected. The aim of this study was to carry out serological screening of anti-HEV antibodies in cattle in the Sicily region (Southern Italy). Between April and December 2018, 231 serum samples were collected from cows and analysed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for detection of HEV antibodies (IgG). The overall prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies was 36.36% (84/231; 95% CI 30-43). There were statistically significant differences in the HEV seroprevalence in animals of different ages ( 12 months: 39.30%; >24 months: 54.10%) (P 0.05). This study shows that further investigation of HEV in cattle is required to understand better the epidemiology in farm animals and the potential zoonotic risks for humans. This is the first report of HEV seroprevalence for cows in Italy, which provides baseline data for further studies and for control of HEV infection in cattle.