Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 30, Number 8—August 2024
Letter

Transmission and Surveillance of Rat Hepatitis E Virus in Swine

Cite This Article

To the Editor: The study by Rios-Muñoz et al. reporting rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA in swine feces contains intriguing findings with the potential to change our understanding of rat HEV transmission routes (1). One relevant aspect highlighted by the authors is that limited prior evidence of rat HEV infection in swine might be partially explained by the lack of rat HEV serology tests for pigs. The low genomic homology between rat HEV and other HEV (<60%) makes most of the commercially available HEV-based tests ineffective in detecting rat HEV (2,3).

Such findings are exciting but must be interpreted with caution because some gaps remain to be addressed. Pigs can feed on small mammal remains and even prey on rodents, which means detecting rat HEV RNA in pig feces does not conclusively indicate an infection. To rule out the possibility of viral detection because of contaminated food, it is necessary to detect the virus in other tissues, such as blood or liver (3). Of note, a substantial proportion of the positive samples in the study by Rios-Muñoz et al. exhibited high cycle threshold values, which might be suggestive of residual viral RNA. Furthermore, considering the hypothesis that both viruses could be transmitted through contaminated swine meat, it remains unclear why rat HEV infection in humans is uncommon when compared with other HEV.

Nevertheless, from our perspective, these findings suggest the possibility of approaching swine as a sentinel species. If results are confirmed in additional eco-epidemiologic studies, sampling swine stools could offer valuable public health information. Insights from other rodentborne diseases, such as bubonic plague, underscore the benefits of a surveillance strategy focused on sentinel species rather than primary hosts (4). Sampling rodents is logistically more challenging and expensive than for domestic animals, but surveillance of sentinel species is typically more efficient in predicting the dissemination of zoonotic diseases at early stages.

Dr. Bezerra currently works a technologist at the Plague National Reference Laboratory, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Recife, Brazil. His research interests include bubonic plague, epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis of zoonotic diseases, and genomic surveillance.

Top

Matheus Filgueira BezerraComments to Author , Maria Gabriela Oliveira da Paz, Edmilson Ferreira de Oliveira-Filho, and Christian Robson de Souza Reis
Author affiliations: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil (M.F. Bezerra, M.G.O. da Paz, C.R.D.S. Reis); Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (E.F. de Oliveira-Filho).

Top

References

  1. Rios-Muñoz  L, Gonzálvez  M, Caballero-Gomez  J, Castro-Scholten  S, Casares-Jimenez  M, Agulló-Ros  I, et al. Detection of rat hepatitis E virus in pigs, Spain, 2023. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024;30:8236. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Chen  Z, Li  G, Situ  J, Li  Z, Guo  S, Huang  Y, et al. Redeveloping antigen detection kits for the diagnosis of rat hepatitis E virus. J Clin Microbiol. 2023;61:e0071023. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Johne  R, Plenge-Bönig  A, Hess  M, Ulrich  RG, Reetz  J, Schielke  A. Detection of a novel hepatitis E-like virus in faeces of wild rats using a nested broad-spectrum RT-PCR. J Gen Virol. 2010;91:7508. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Rajerison  M, Andrianaivoarimanana  V, Ratsitorahina  M, Rahelinirina  S, Chanteau  S, Telfer  S, et al. Field assessment of dog as sentinel animal for plague in endemic foci of Madagascar. Integr Zool. 2021;16:88692. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid3008.240484

Original Publication Date: July 10, 2024

Related Links

Top

Table of Contents – Volume 30, Number 8—August 2024

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Comments

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Matheus Bezerra, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Avenida Professor Moraes Rego, s/n, Recife/PE 50740-465, Brazil

Send To

10000 character(s) remaining.

Top

Page created: July 02, 2024
Page updated: July 22, 2024
Page reviewed: July 22, 2024
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external