Identification of Hepatitis E Virus in the Feces of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Abstract

Orthohepeviruses (HEV) can infect a wide range of animals, showing a relatively strict host specificity; however, its zoonotic potential, natural transmission in the wildlife are less known. Several new HEV-like viruses have been identified in various animal species, including carnivores; however, the phylogenetic relationship among these viruses is poorly resolved, since some of them were known as rodent-related so far. The red fox, the most widespread carnivore worldwide, is a known reservoir of several viruses that transmit from wildlife to humans or domestic animals; they might have a defined role in the circulation of rodent-borne HEV. In this study, we performed a HEV survey by heminested RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription PCR) on red fox fecal samples to investigate the presence of HEV in red foxes living in natural conditions, and to explore the origin of the virus via phylogenetic analysis. Out of the 26 investigated samples, HEV RNA was identified in one sample. Following Sanger sequencing, the novel sequence displayed 91% identity on the nucleotide level with recently published European common vole-HEV derived from Microtus arvalis. In contrast, it shared 85% nucleotide similarity with HEV strains described previously in red foxes. Our results strongly support “the dietary-origin” of unclassified HEV-like strains described from predators that usually prey on rodents.

Detection of anti-HEV antibodies but no molecular positivity in dogs in the Campania region, southern Italy

“…Although this trend is typical among pets (dogs and cats), the same cannot be said for wildlife, as evidenced by multiple identifications of viral RNA in different matrices. To date, HEV has been identified in the feces of wolves, red foxes, and lynxes and in the cavity transudates of red foxes [ 7 , [27] , [28] , [29] ]. Furthermore, in wild animals, exposure to the virus appears significantly higher, probably due to greater contact with reservoir hosts and therefore a greater possibility of contracting the infection through their ingestion.…”

Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Genotype 3 Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Strain Detected in a Wolf Faecal Sample, Italy

“…Besides wild boars, recognized as the wildlife reservoir of zoonotic HEV [ 6 ], natural orthohepevirus infections have been occasionally reported in a variety of wild animals, including carnivores such as mongooses, bears, leopard, ferrets, minks, and foxes [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. We undertook this study to better understand the ecology of orthohepeviruses in Italian wolves and red foxes implementing the HEV diagnostic algorithm with a pan-orthohepeviruses molecular strategy [ 19 ] that has also been previously used to detect HEV-C2 in red foxes [ 16 ]. In our analysis, orthohepevirus RNA was identified in a wolf faecal sample (81236/Wolf/2019/ITA), and, unexpectedly, we observed that it displayed the highest genetic relatedness to HEV strains classified as Gt3 within the species Orthohepevirus A .…”

“…In addition to the species Orthohepevirus A , hepeviruses closely related to rat orthohepeviruses C (HEV-C1) [ 14 ], but clustering into a distinct genotype (HEV-C2), were detected in 2012 by metagenomic investigation in faecal samples from household pet ferrets in the Netherlands [ 11 ]. Since then, carnivore-derived HEV-C2 strains have been detected in liver and faecal specimens from farmed American minks in Denmark [ 13 ] and in faeces of red foxes in the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary [ 12 , 15 , 16 ].…”

A Unique Case of Fatal Coinfection Caused by Leptospira spp. and Hepatozoon canis in a Red Fox Cub (Vulpes vulpes)

“…Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are the most common and widespread wild carnivores in Europe, and they are well-recognised hosts for many pathogens shared between wild and domestic animals and humans as well. Many of these pathogenic agents cause severe illnesses in domestic animals and may represent a significant threat to public health [1][2][3].…”