Serological Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus Circulation Among Reindeer and Reindeer Herders

Slukinova, Olga S.; Kyuregyan, Karen K.; Karlsen, Anastasia A.; Potemkin, Ilya А.; Kichatova, Vera S.; Semenov, S.I.; Степанов, К.М.; Rumyantseva, T. D.; Михайлов, М. И.

doi:10.1089/vbz.2020.2727

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Even though sampled animals were considered healthy upon examination, a large variety of nucleic acid sequences of viral origin were detected in nasal and rectal swab pools from all countries studied. Therefore, it is possible that apparently healthy semi-domesticated reindeer may have a role as a pathogen reservoir for both domestic animals and wildlife, but also contribute to the transmission by meat and milk consumption, contact, and so on, of zoonotic pathogens to humans (e.g., Hepatitis E virus or ORFV) [9,42,43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening of Eurasian Tundra Reindeer for Viral Sequences by Next-Generation Sequencing

Romano

Omazic

Leijon

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reindeer husbandry is essential for the livelihood and culture of indigenous people in the Arctic. Parts of the herding areas are also used as pastures for farm animals, facilitating potential transmission of viruses between species. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, viruses circulating in the wild are receiving increased attention, since they might pose a potential threat to human health. Climate change will influence the prevalence of infectious diseases of both humans and animals. The aim of this study was to detect known and previously unknown viruses in Eurasian tundra reindeer. In total, 623 nasal and 477 rectal swab samples were collected from reindeer herds in Fennoscandia, Iceland, and Eastern Russia during 2016–2019. Next-generation sequencing analysis and BLAST-homology searches indicated the presence of viruses of domesticated and wild animals, such as bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine papillomavirus, alcephaline herpesvirus 1 and 2, deer mastadenovirus B, bovine rotavirus, and roe deer picobirnavirus. Several viral species previously found in reindeer and some novel species were detected, although the clinical relevance of these viruses in reindeer is largely unknown. These results indicate that it should be possible to find emerging viruses of relevance for both human and animal health using reindeer as a sentinel species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening of Eurasian Tundra Reindeer for Viral Sequences by Next-Generation Sequencing

Romano

Omazic

Leijon

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is slightly lower than the 23.1% reported for Norwegian wild reindeer, the latter mainly living around latitude 58.4 • N to 62.4 • N and sampled during the period 2010-2018 [27]. In contrast, the seroprevalence in semi-domesticated reindeer was slightly higher than the 12.1% reported for semi-domesticated reindeer sampled during the period 2018-2019 in eastern Russia [28]. While the Norwegian study of wild reindeer was based on the same ELISA as used in the present study, an ELISA detecting anti-HEV IgM, IgA and IgG, the Russian study used an ELISA only detecting anti-HEV IgG, which may indicate that these screenings are not necessarily directly comparable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…In order to answer this, it is crucial to isolate HEV from reindeer, sequence the HEV genomes and compare this to HEV genomes detected in humans. In the study of semi-domesticated reindeer in Russia, there were unsuccessful attempts to detect HEV RNA in serum, and no other samples were investigated [28]. However, the authors noted that the seroprevalence in reindeer herders was similar to the seroprevalence of other adults in the area, suggesting that occupational infection did not play a major role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A seroprevalence study of wild ungulates in a neighbouring country, Sweden, detected anti-HEV antibodies in 27.5% (19/69) of wild moose (Alces alces), 15.1% (21/139) of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and in a few roe deer (2/30, Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (1/15, Cervus elaphus) [26]. A similar study in Norway detected anti-HEV antibodies in 19.5% (32/164) of moose and 23.1% (43/186) of wild reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus) [27], while a study on semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Russia found anti-HEV IgG in 12.1% (23/191) of examined animals [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Serological Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Semi-Domesticated Eurasian Tundra Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of viral hepatitis in humans. In developing countries, HEV-infections seem to be mainly associated with pigs, but other animal species may be involved in viral transmission. Recently, anti-HEV antibodies were detected in Norwegian wild reindeer. Here, we investigated anti-HEV seroprevalence in Norwegian semi-domesticated reindeer, animals in closer contact with humans than their wild counterparts. Blood samples (n = 516) were obtained from eight reindeer herds during the period 2013–2017 and analysed with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay designed for detecting anti-HEV antibodies in livestock. Antibodies were found in all herds and for all sampling seasons. The overall seroprevalence was 15.7% (81/516), with adults showing a slightly higher seroprevalence (18.0%, 46/256) than calves (13.5%, 35/260, p = 0.11). The seroprevalence was not influenced by gender or latitude, and there was no temporal trend (p > 0.15). A positive association between the presence of anti-HEV antibodies and antibodies against alphaherpesvirus and pestivirus, detected in a previous screening, was found (p < 0.05). We conclude that Norwegian semi-domesticated reindeer are exposed to HEV or an antigenically similar virus. Whether the virus is affecting reindeer health or infects humans and poses a threat for human health remains unknown and warrants further investigations.

show abstract

“…Therefore, it seems likely that Sika deer can be infected with HEV, but that such events must be very rare. In addition, other studies reported higher HEV seroprevalence in moose (Alces alces), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and red deer, which showed seroprevalence rates of 9.1-19.5%, 12-23.1% and 10-12.85%, respectively [3,4,23,45,53]. The variation in seroprevalence among the family Cervidae may be influenced by animal behavior or cohabiting species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Nationwide survey of hepatitis E virus infection among wildlife in Japan

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Japan, hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes hepatitis in humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, including game meat. In the present study, nationwide surveillance of HEV infection among a total of 5,557 wild animals, including 15 species, was conducted in Japan. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in wild boar was 12.4%, with higher positive rates in big boars (over 50 kg, 18.4%) than in small individuals (less than 30 kg, 5.3%). Furthermore, HEV RNA was more frequently detected in piglets than in older boars.Interestingly, the detection of HEV among wildlife by ELISA and RT-PCR suggested that HEV infection in Sika deer was a very rare event, and that there was no HEV infection among wild animals except for wild boar, Sika deer and Japanese monkeys. In conclusion, wild boar, especially piglets, are at high risk of HEV infection, while other wild animals showed less risk or no risk of HEV transmission.

show abstract

Serological Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus Circulation Among Reindeer and Reindeer Herders

Cited by 9 publications

References 31 publications

Screening of Eurasian Tundra Reindeer for Viral Sequences by Next-Generation Sequencing

Screening of Eurasian Tundra Reindeer for Viral Sequences by Next-Generation Sequencing

Serological Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Semi-Domesticated Eurasian Tundra Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway

Nationwide survey of hepatitis E virus infection among wildlife in Japan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About