Asian Musk Shrew as a Reservoir of Rat Hepatitis E Virus, China

Guan, Dawei; Li, Wei; Su, Juan; Fang, Ling; Takeda, Naokazu; Wakita, Takaji; Li, Tiancheng; Ke, Changwen

doi:10.3201/eid1908.130069

Cited by 42 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Rat HEV is readily transmissible between rats (Johne et al, ) and has been detected in several species of the Rattus genus, including the black rat ( R. rattus ; Ryll et al, ), Tanezumi rat ( Rattus tanezumi ) and Rattus rattoides losea (Li et al, ). In addition, strains of the C1 genotype have also been detected in a variety of species outside the Rattus genus, such as in greater bandicoot rats ( Bandicota indica ; Li et al, ), the Asian musk shrew ( Suncus murinus ; Guan et al, ; Li et al, ) and a Syrian brown bear ( Ursus arctos syriacus ) from a German zoo (Spahr et al, ). However, experimental cross‐species infection has been attempted in laboratory mice (Debing et al, ) and pigs (Cossaboom et al, ) with no success.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First detection of Hepatitis E virus (Orthohepevirus C) in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Great Britain

Murphy

Williams

Jennings

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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In the United Kingdom, there has been an increase in the number of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in people annually since 2010. Most of these are thought to be indigenously acquired Orthohepevirus A genotype 3 (HEV G3), which has been linked to pork production and consumption. However, the dominant subgroup circulating in British pigs differs from that which is found in people; therefore, an alternative, potentially zoonotic, source is suspected as a possible cause of these infections. Rodents, brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in particular, have been shown to carry HEV, both the swine HEV G3 genotype and Orthohepevirus C, genotype C1 (rat HEV). To investigate the prevalence of HEV in British rodents, liver tissue was taken from 307 rodents collected from pig farms (n = 12) and other locations (n = 10). The RNA from these samples was extracted and tested using a pan‐HEV nested RT‐PCR. Limited histopathology was also performed. In this study, 8/61 (13%, 95% CI, 5–21) of brown rat livers were positive for HEV RNA. Sequencing of amplicons demonstrated all infections to be rat HEV with 87%–92% nucleotide identity to other rat HEV sequences circulating within Europe and China (224 nt ORF‐1). Lesions and necrosis were observed histologically in 2/3 samples examined. No rat HEV RNA was detected in any other species, and no HEV G3 RNA was detected in any rodent in this study. This is the first reported detection of rat HEV in Great Britain. A human case of rat HEV infection has recently been reported in Asia, suggesting that rat HEV could pose a risk to public health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First detection of Hepatitis E virus (Orthohepevirus C) in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Great Britain

Murphy

Williams

Jennings

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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“…Genotype C1 includes strains isolated from rat (Figure 1). However, some variants with incomplete sequences, isolated from bandicoot and Asian musk shrew, cluster also in this genotype [58,59]. The phylogeny analysis of the full genomes available shows three different clusters within this genotype that may constitute three possible subtypes (Figure 1).…”

Section: Hev Phylogenymentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonotic Hepatitis E Virus: Classiﬁcation, Animal Reservoirs and Transmission Routes

Doceul

Bagdassarian

Demange

et al. 2016

Viruses

218

199

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During the past ten years, several new hepatitis E viruses (HEVs) have been identified in various animal species. In parallel, the number of reports of autochthonous hepatitis E in Western countries has increased as well, raising the question of what role these possible animal reservoirs play in human infections. The aim of this review is to present the recent discoveries of animal HEVs and their classification within the Hepeviridae family, their zoonotic and species barrier crossing potential, and possible use as models to study hepatitis E pathogenesis. Lastly, this review describes the transmission pathways identified from animal sources.

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“…Sequences closely related to HEV‐C1 were detected from Asian musk shrews which shared the environment with wild rats in China (Guan et al., ).…”

Section: Hev In Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis E Virus and Related Viruses in Animals

Thiry

Mauroy

Pavio

et al. 2015

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Hepatitis E is an acute human liver disease in healthy individuals which may eventually become chronic. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) and can have a zoonotic origin. Nearly 57,000 people die yearly from hepatitis E-related conditions. The disease is endemic in both developing and developed countries with distinct epidemiologic profiles. In developing countries, the disease is associated with inadequate water treatment, while in developed countries, transmission is associated with animal contact and the ingestion of raw or uncooked meat, especially liver. All human HEV are grouped into at least four genotypes, while HEV or HEV-related viruses have been identified in an increasing number of domestic and wild animal species. Despite a high genetic diversity, only one single HEV serotype has been described to date for HEV genotypes 1-4. The discovery of new HEV or HEV-related viruses leads to a continuing increase in the number of genotypes. In addition, the genome organization of all these viruses is variable with overlapping open reading frames (ORF) and differences in the location of ORF3. In spite of the role of some domestic and wild animals as reservoir, the origin of HEV and HEV-related viruses in humans and animals is still unclear. This review discusses aspects of the detection, molecular virology, zoonotic transmission and origin of HEV and HEV-related viruses in the context of 'One Health' and establishes a link between the previous and the new taxonomy of this growing virus family.

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Asian Musk Shrew as a Reservoir of Rat Hepatitis E Virus, China

Cited by 42 publications

References 10 publications

First detection of Hepatitis E virus (Orthohepevirus C) in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Great Britain

First detection of Hepatitis E virus (Orthohepevirus C) in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Great Britain

Zoonotic Hepatitis E Virus: Classiﬁcation, Animal Reservoirs and Transmission Routes

Hepatitis E Virus and Related Viruses in Animals

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