High circulation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs from the central region of Argentina without evidence of virus occurrence in pork meat and derived products

SILVIA VIVIANA NATES,

RESEARCH IN VETERINARY SCIENCE

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2023

0034-5288

epatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging cause of viral hepatitis and pigs are considered a reservoir for the virus. HEV genotype 3 (HEV-3) has been reported in pigs, environmental matrices, and sporadic human cases in Argentina. We aimed to investigate HEV circulation in pigs from central Argentina and to assess the virus presence in pork meat and food products. Four types of samples obtained or derived from pigs collected in Cordoba ´ province (Argentina) between 2019 and 2022, were tested: 276 serum samples were analyzed for antiHEV antibody detection; stool (n = 20), pork meat (n = 71), and salami (n = 76) samples were studied for RNAHEV detection, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. The positivity rate for anti-HEV antibodies as 80.1% (221/276). Eleven fecal samples (11/20) tested positive for RNA-HEV, from animals under 120 days of age. Three samples could be sequenced, and phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belonged to HEV-3 clade abchijklm, clustering close to