Phylogenetic analysis of avian hepatitis E virus samples from European and Australian chicken flocks supports the existence of a different genus within the Hepeviridae comprising at least three different genotypes

Avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) is the major etiological agent of hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome (HSS), big liver and spleen disease (BLSD), and hepatic rupture hemorrhage syndrome (HRHS) in chickens. Infections with aHEV cause a significant decrease in egg production and increased mortality in chickens worldwide. However, studies on the prevalence of aHEV in Nigeria are scarce. In this study, serum (n = 88) and fecal samples (n = 110) obtained from apparently healthy layer chickens from three states in southwestern Nigeria were analyzed by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) targeting the helicase and capsid gene for the presence of aHEV. Avian HEV was detected in 12.5% (n = 11/88) of serum samples and 9.1% (n = 10/110) of fecal samples tested. Phylogenetic analysis showed that five of the twelve identified aHEV sequences belonged to genotype 2. The remaining seven sequences were only distantly related to other known aHEV isolates. After amplification of the near-complete ORF2 fragment (1618 bp) and part of the ORF1 (582 bp) of isolate YF40_aHEV_NG phylogenetic analysis revealed a nucleotide sequence identity between 79.0 and 82.6% and 80.1 and 83.5%, respectively, to other known aHEV strains, indicating that the Nigerian isolate YF40_aHEV_NG belongs to a novel aHEV genotype. This is the first report of co-circulation of aHEV genotypes in chickens in Nigeria.

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Infection of Pigs with Avian Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)

10.31274/ans_air-180814-1096 ◽

2005 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

C. Kasorndorkbua ◽

P. J. Thomas ◽

Patrick G. Halbur ◽

D. K. Guenette ◽

F. F. Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Avian Hepatitis E Virus

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Identification and characterization of avian hepatitis E virus genotype 2 from chickens with hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome in Korea

Virus Genes ◽

10.1007/s11262-016-1351-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 52 (5) ◽

pp. 738-742 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Hyun-Woo Moon ◽

Byung-Woo Lee ◽

Haan Woo Sung ◽

Byung-Il Yoon ◽

Hyuk Moo Kwon

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Virus Genotype ◽

Genotype 2 ◽

Avian Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Identification And Characterization

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Identification of two neutralization epitopes on the capsid protein of avian hepatitis E virus

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/vir.0.83366-0 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 89 (2) ◽

pp. 500-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

E.-M. Zhou ◽

H. Guo ◽

F. F. Huang ◽

Z. F. Sun ◽

X. J. Meng

Keyword(s):

Capsid Protein ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Avian Hepatitis E Virus

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Co-infection with avian hepatitis E virus and avian leukosis virus subgroup J as the cause of an outbreak of hepatitis and liver hemorrhagic syndromes in a brown layer chicken flock in China

Poultry Science ◽

10.1016/j.psj.2019.10.067 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 99 (3) ◽

pp. 1287-1296

Author(s):

Yani Sun ◽

Qizhong Lu ◽

Jingfei Zhang ◽

Xiaoxuan Li ◽

Jiakai Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Avian Leukosis Virus ◽

Chicken Flock ◽

Layer Chicken ◽

Avian Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Subgroup J ◽

Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup

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Chicken Organic Anion-Transporting Polypeptide 1A2, a Novel Avian Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) ORF2-Interacting Protein, Is Involved in Avian HEV Infection

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.02205-18 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 93 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Huixia Li ◽

Mengnan Fan ◽

Baoyuan Liu ◽

Pinpin Ji ◽

Yiyang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Viral Infection ◽

Capsid Protein ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Organic Anion ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Host Cells ◽

Cell Culture System ◽

Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide ◽

Avian Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Avian Hev

ABSTRACT Avian hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the main causative agent of big liver and spleen disease in chickens. Due to the absence of a highly effective cell culture system, there are few reports about the interaction between avian HEV and host cells. In this study, organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1A2 (OATP1A2) from chicken liver cells was identified to interact with ap237, a truncated avian HEV capsid protein spanning amino acids 313 to 549, by a glutathione S-transferase (GST) pulldown assay. GST pulldown and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) further confirmed that the extracellular domain of OATP1A2 directly binds with ap237. The expression levels of OATP1A2 in host cells are positively correlated with the amounts of ap237 attachment and virus infection. The distribution of OATP1A2 in different tissues is consistent with avian HEV infection in vivo. Finally, when the functions of OATP1A2 in cells are inhibited by its substrates or an inhibitor or blocked by ap237 or anti-OATP1A2 sera, attachment to and infection of host cells by avian HEV are significantly reduced. Collectively, these results displayed for the first time that OATP1A2 interacts with the avian HEV capsid protein and can influence viral infection in host cells. The present study provides new insight to understand the process of avian HEV infection of host cells. IMPORTANCE The process of viral infection is centered around the interaction between the virus and host cells. Due to the lack of a highly effective cell culture system in vitro, there is little understanding about the interaction between avian HEV and its host cells. In this study, a total of seven host proteins were screened in chicken liver cells by a truncated avian HEV capsid protein (ap237) in which the host protein OATP1A2 interacted with ap237. Overexpression of OATP1A2 in the cells can promote ap237 adsorption as well as avian HEV adsorption and infection of the cells. When the function of OATP1A2 in cells was inhibited by substrates or inhibitors, attachment and infection by avian HEV significantly decreased. The distribution of OATP1A2 in different chicken tissues corresponded with that in tissues during avian HEV infection. This is the first finding that OATP1A2 is involved in viral infection of host cells.

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Study of a hepatitis E virus outbreak involving drinking water and sewage contamination in Shimla, India, 2015–2016

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.1093/trstmh/trz072 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 113 (12) ◽

pp. 789-796 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anuradha S Tripathy ◽

Meenal Sharma ◽

Avinash R Deoshatwar ◽

Prasad Babar ◽

Rakesh Bharadwaj ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Water Samples ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis A ◽

Hepatitis A Virus ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Oral Transmission ◽

Sewage Contamination ◽

Current Outbreak

Abstract Background Hepatitis E, caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV), accounts for 50% of acute hepatitis cases in India. We report an outbreak of hepatitis E in Shimla, India, in 2015–2016. Methods ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, received two batches of water samples from Shimla in January 2016 to test for the presence of enterically transmitted hepatitis viruses. Subsequently, 57 icterus patients were tested for various markers of hepatotropic viruses, i.e. anti-HEV IgM/IgG, anti-hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) IgM/IgG antibodies and HEV RNA. Water samples were screened for HEV and HAV RNA followed by phylogenetic analysis. Results Overall, 48/57 patients availing municipal water had evidence of HEV infection, detected by serology and RT-PCR. All the water samples tested positive for HEV and HAV RNA, while the patients were negative for anti-HAV IgM antibody, indicating no recent HAV infection. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the aetiological agent of the current outbreak to be HEV genotype 1. Conclusions Serology and RT-PCR confirmed HEV as the aetiology of the outbreak. The absence of new cases of hepatitis A, despite the presence of HAV in the water supply, could be due to previously acquired immunity. Sewage contamination of water leading to faecal-oral transmission of HEV still remains a concern, thus emphasising the need for a vaccination/control strategy.

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