Hepatitis E Antibodies in Laboratory Rabbits from 2 US Vendors

Abstract

We tested laboratory rabbits from 2 US vendors for antibodies against hepatitis E virus (HEV); Seroprevalences were 40% and 50%. Retrospective analysis of an ocular herpes simplex 1 experiment demonstrated that HEV seropositivity had no effect on experiment outcome. HEV probably is widespread in research rabbits, but effects on research remain unknown.H epatitis E virus (HEV) is a single-stranded RNA virus in the family Hepeviridae (1). HEV is transmitted through the fecal-oral and bloodborne routes and typically causes transient hepatitis; however, such infections can be fatal, especially in pregnant women (20% mortality rate) and in immunocompromised persons (2,3).HEV has 4 genotypes, and genotypes 3 and 4 are found in humans and other animals (1). The genomic sequence of US rabbit HEV (GenBank accession no. JX565469) has been analyzed and the sequence places rabbit HEV as a distant member of the zoonotic HEV genotype 3 (4). A study in France found HEV in farmed and wild rabbits and characterized a closely related human strain of HEV (5). Although HEV has been detected in rabbits from Asian and European counties, researchers previously thought that HEV was not a major presence in rabbits in the United States (5-7). A recent study identified a 36% prevalence of HEV antibodies in animals on 2 rabbit farms in Virginia (1).Because HEV may be a confounding factor in research and is a potential zoonotic pathogen (5), we tested rabbits from 2 US suppliers for HEV seroprevalence. Supplier A was a local conventional rabbit farm, and supplier B was a commercial vendor of specific pathogen free (SPF) research rabbits. Our hypothesis was 3-fold: 1)HEV is a possibly undiagnosed pathogen in laboratory rabbits, 2) HEV seroprevalence is unlikely in rabbits from supplier B (a SPF supplier), and 3) HEV seroprevalence might confound research. To investigate the latter hypothesis, we retrospectively analyzed records from a subset of animals used in a herpes simplex 1 virus (HSV-1) research project. The Study Animals

Hepatitis E virus and related viruses in wild, domestic and zoo animals: A review

“…Rabbit HEV‐RNA was detected in 7.5% (serum) and 7.0% (faeces) of these animals. Furthermore, IgG seroprevalences in New Zealand White rabbits from two US vendors were reported 40% and 50%, respectively (Birke et al., ). Additionally, rabbit HEV‐RNA was detected in 5% of Japanese White rabbits and Rex rabbits from China (Xia et al., ).…”

An overview: Rabbit hepatitis E virus (HEV) and rabbit providing an animal model for HEV study

“…So far, the published studies regarding rabbit model for HEV study showed promising results that rabbit could be an optimal alternative for HEV infection study . However, recent surveys showed that the SPF rabbits were naturally infected with rHEV . Thus, a strict screening for HEV in SPF rabbits before relevant studies is warranted.…”

Prevalence and genetic features of rabbit hepatitis E virus in Korea

“…Anti‐HEV antibodies were found in 3.4%, 15.4‐54.6%, 36%, and 57.3% of farmed rabbits in Italy, China, the US, and Mongolia, respectively . Interestingly, 40‐50% of laboratory rabbits in the US and 6.56% of pet rabbits in Italy had antibodies against HEV in their serum samples . This evidence indicates that HEV infection is considerably prevalent in farmed, wild, laboratory, and pet rabbits in several countries.…”

“…8,15,[17][18][19] Interestingly, 40-50% of laboratory rabbits in the US and 6.56% of pet rabbits in Italy had antibodies against HEV in their serum samples. 17,20 This evidence indicates that HEV infection is considerably prevalent in farmed, wild, laboratory, and pet rabbits in several countries. The prevalence of rabbit HEV RNA also indicated that a relatively high proportion of farmed rabbits were infected with HEV in several countries.…”