Prevalence of hepatitis E virus and porcine caliciviruses in pig farms of Guizhou province, China

Backgroud: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and caliciviruses are enteric pathogens of humans and animals, and pigs have been considered an important reservoir of these viruses.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the infection rates of HEV and caliciviruses (sapovirus [SaV] and norovirus [NoV]) in different age groups of pigs in Guizhou province, China, and characterize the strains that are prevalent in this mountainous area.
Materials and Methods: A total of 209 stool samples from healthy pigs of different ages were collected from 6 pig farms in Guizhou province from May to June 2009 and tested for HEV, SaV, and NoV by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results: The overall prevalence of porcine HEV and porcine SaV was 6.7% (15/209) and 1.0% (2/209), respectively. No NoV was detected. The prevalence rates of porcine HEV infection were 15.4% in piglets aged < 1 mon (4/26), 6.8% in piglets aged between 1 and 4 mon (3/44), 12.5% in piglets aged ≈ 4 mon (6/48), and 1.1% in sows aged between 6 and 14 mon (2/91). Porcine SaV was detected only in piglets (7.7%, 2/26). All 10 HEV isolates belonged to genotype 4, clustering with a human HEV strain (AF103940) from an adjacent province.
Conclusions: This is the first report on the existence of porcine SaV in swine in Guizhou province, China. The clustering of the porcine HEV isolates with a human strain suggests cross-species transmission between swine and humans in this area.
 

• Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:
  HEV and porcine SaV infection existed in swine in Guizhou province, China. Health policy makers should be aware of the potential dangers of these viruses and thinking the best way for prevention. We recommend all researchers in laboratory fields as well as health policy makers to read this interesting article.
• Please cite this paper as:
  Shen Q, Ren R, Zhang W, Yang Z, Yang S, Chen Y, et al. Prevalence of hepatitis E virus and porcine caliciviruses in pig farms of Guizhou province, China. Hepat Mon. 2011;11(6):459-63.

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