Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is recognized as an emerging zoonosis. Pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoirs of zoonotic HEV-3 and HEV-4 genotypes. In Europe, autochthonous human cases of hepatitis E, mainly associated with HEV-3 and consumption of raw or undercooked pig and wild boar liver...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1511823/full |
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| author | Luca De Sabato Mariagiovanna Domanico Paola De Santis Daniele Cecca Giulia Bonella Giovanni Mastrandrea Roberta Onorati Luigi Sorbara Bianca Maria Varcasia Barbara Franzetti Andrea Caprioli Antonio Battisti Fabio Ostanello Ilaria Di Bartolo |
| author_facet | Luca De Sabato Mariagiovanna Domanico Paola De Santis Daniele Cecca Giulia Bonella Giovanni Mastrandrea Roberta Onorati Luigi Sorbara Bianca Maria Varcasia Barbara Franzetti Andrea Caprioli Antonio Battisti Fabio Ostanello Ilaria Di Bartolo |
| author_sort | Luca De Sabato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is recognized as an emerging zoonosis. Pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoirs of zoonotic HEV-3 and HEV-4 genotypes. In Europe, autochthonous human cases of hepatitis E, mainly associated with HEV-3 and consumption of raw or undercooked pig and wild boar liver/meat, have increased over the last decades. From 2016 to 2024, during several hunting seasons, we conducted a molecular and serological longitudinal survey on the circulation of HEV in Maremman wild boar (Italian subspecies/ecotype, Sus scrofa majori) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area in Central Italy. During the study period, 346 livers (256 from wild boar, 90 from fallow deer), 161 serum (127 from wild boar, 34 from fallow deer), and 23 meat juice (11 from wild boar, 12 from fallow deer) samples were collected. Serum and meat juice samples were tested using a commercial ELISA test for the detection of total anti-HEV antibodies. An estimated serological prevalence of 28.3% (39/138) in wild boar and 21.7% (10/46) in fallow deer was found. The 346 liver samples were tested using a HEV Real-Time RT-PCR for the detection of HEV-RNA. Thirty-one wild boar (12%) and four fallow deer (4.4%) livers were found positive. Phylogenetic analysis of 11 partial ORF2 sequences from wild boar confirmed the HEV3 heterogeneity in this species, revealing different strains (3f, 3c) circulating over the years. The detected subtypes are among the most commonly detected in Italy and our strains showed a high correlation with human and wild boar Italian strains. Although the studied area is a fenced natural reserve, the presence of different strains over time suggests the probable virus introduction from the external. Our results confirm fallow deer susceptibility to the infection, and that wild boar could be considered the main wild HEV reservoir. This is also the first study demonstrating the infection in the so-called Italian subspecies/ecotype Maremman wild boar. Moreover, our results corroborate that the consumption of undercooked or raw liver from both wild boar and fallow deer, or the direct contact with these animals, could represent a zoonotic risk. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2050eb9526a44dc8b5a47dda407c0326 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-2050eb9526a44dc8b5a47dda407c03262025-01-17T15:10:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692024-11-011110.3389/fvets.2024.15118231511823Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central ItalyLuca De Sabato0Mariagiovanna Domanico1Paola De Santis2Daniele Cecca3Giulia Bonella4Giovanni Mastrandrea5Roberta Onorati6Luigi Sorbara7Bianca Maria Varcasia8Barbara Franzetti9Andrea Caprioli10Antonio Battisti11Fabio Ostanello12Ilaria Di Bartolo13Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalySegretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica – Servizio Tenuta di Castelporziano, Rome, ItalySegretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica – Servizio Tenuta di Castelporziano, Rome, ItalySegretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica – Servizio Tenuta di Castelporziano, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyItalian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research ISPRA, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyHepatitis E virus (HEV) is recognized as an emerging zoonosis. Pigs and wild boars are considered the main reservoirs of zoonotic HEV-3 and HEV-4 genotypes. In Europe, autochthonous human cases of hepatitis E, mainly associated with HEV-3 and consumption of raw or undercooked pig and wild boar liver/meat, have increased over the last decades. From 2016 to 2024, during several hunting seasons, we conducted a molecular and serological longitudinal survey on the circulation of HEV in Maremman wild boar (Italian subspecies/ecotype, Sus scrofa majori) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area in Central Italy. During the study period, 346 livers (256 from wild boar, 90 from fallow deer), 161 serum (127 from wild boar, 34 from fallow deer), and 23 meat juice (11 from wild boar, 12 from fallow deer) samples were collected. Serum and meat juice samples were tested using a commercial ELISA test for the detection of total anti-HEV antibodies. An estimated serological prevalence of 28.3% (39/138) in wild boar and 21.7% (10/46) in fallow deer was found. The 346 liver samples were tested using a HEV Real-Time RT-PCR for the detection of HEV-RNA. Thirty-one wild boar (12%) and four fallow deer (4.4%) livers were found positive. Phylogenetic analysis of 11 partial ORF2 sequences from wild boar confirmed the HEV3 heterogeneity in this species, revealing different strains (3f, 3c) circulating over the years. The detected subtypes are among the most commonly detected in Italy and our strains showed a high correlation with human and wild boar Italian strains. Although the studied area is a fenced natural reserve, the presence of different strains over time suggests the probable virus introduction from the external. Our results confirm fallow deer susceptibility to the infection, and that wild boar could be considered the main wild HEV reservoir. This is also the first study demonstrating the infection in the so-called Italian subspecies/ecotype Maremman wild boar. Moreover, our results corroborate that the consumption of undercooked or raw liver from both wild boar and fallow deer, or the direct contact with these animals, could represent a zoonotic risk.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1511823/fullhepatitis Ewild boar (Sus scrofa)fallow deer (Dama dama)infectiongenotypesHEV-3 |
| spellingShingle | Luca De Sabato Mariagiovanna Domanico Paola De Santis Daniele Cecca Giulia Bonella Giovanni Mastrandrea Roberta Onorati Luigi Sorbara Bianca Maria Varcasia Barbara Franzetti Andrea Caprioli Antonio Battisti Fabio Ostanello Ilaria Di Bartolo Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy Frontiers in Veterinary Science hepatitis E wild boar (Sus scrofa) fallow deer (Dama dama) infection genotypes HEV-3 |
| title | Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy |
| title_full | Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy |
| title_fullStr | Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy |
| title_short | Longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis E virus in wild boar (Sus scrofa majori, Maremman wild boar) and fallow deer (Dama dama) populations in a protected area of Central Italy |
| title_sort | longitudinal serological and virological survey of hepatitis e virus in wild boar sus scrofa majori maremman wild boar and fallow deer dama dama populations in a protected area of central italy |
| topic | hepatitis E wild boar (Sus scrofa) fallow deer (Dama dama) infection genotypes HEV-3 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1511823/full |
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