Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered the main etiological agent that causes acute hepatitis. It is estimated that 20 million cases occur annually worldwide, reaching mortality rates of 28% in pregnant women. To date, available treatments and vaccines have not been entirely effective. In this study, six antiviral peptides derived from the sequences of porcine Beta-Defensin-2 and bacteriocins Nisin and Subtilosin were generate using in silico tools in order to propose new antiviral agents. Through the use of molecular docking, interactions between the HEV capsid protein and the six new antiviral peptide candidates were evaluated. A peptide of 15 residues derived from Subtilosin showed the best docking energy (-7.0 kcal/mol) with the capsid protein. This is the first report to our knowledge involving a non-well study viral protein interacting with peptides susceptibles to being synthesized, and that could be subsequently evaluated in vitro; moreover, this study provide novel information on the nature of the dimerization pocket of the HEV capsid protein, and could help to understand the first steps in the viral replication cycle, needed for the virus entry to the host cell.

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A microbiological analysis was performed to determine the frequency of isolation of microorganisms of infectious and environmental type in milk from a group of clinically healthy cows in two different types of milking (manual and mechanical). To each sample of milk was made bacteriological culture to determine the presence of microorganisms. Of 289 milk samples evaluated, 193 (66.78%) were positive for isolation of any type of pathogen, of which 81 (28.02%) samples came from manual milking and 112 (38.75%) belonged to mechanical milking, finding a higher percentage of isolation of bacterial pathogens in milks coming from mechanical milking system (p = 0.0236). The most isolated pathogen was the Arcanobacterium haemolyticum, A microorganism that forms part of the saprophytic flora of the animal, with an individual presence in 20.14% and in coinfection with other pathogens in 0.7% of the samples. The most common microorganism of subclinical mastitis in cattle is Streptococcus agalactiae, which in the present study was isolated from 12.50% of milk samples. The odds ratio (OR) between the isolation of Streptococcus agalactiae and the Somatic Cell Score (SCS) was determined, which was statistically significant, indicating that when this pathogen is present the SCS increases and the animals are more susceptible to mastitis.

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Objective. To detect the presence of specific antibodies against Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs slaughtered in Antioquia, the department where the greatest amount of pork is produced and consumed in Colombia. Materials and methods. Between September 2011 and May 2012, blood samples from pigs were obtained in five slaughterhouses of Antioquia, four of them located in the Aburrá Valley subregion and other located in northern subregión. Serum were evaluated with a commercial ELISA kit for diagnosing HEV in humans but adapted to detect IgG and IgM antibodies in pigs. Results. A 100.0% seropositivity for IgG antibodies was found in 1000 samples evaluated, and 82.06% for IgM antibodies were found in 740 samples. Conclusions. These results indicate that pigs in slaughter age in Antioquia, and possibly in Colombia, have been exposed to HEV at some point in their production process and a high percentage of them can arrive to slaughterhouses with recent infection.