Hepatitis E virus seroprevalence among the general population in a livestock-dense area in the Netherlands

SUMMARYHepatitis E virus (HEV) is ubiquitous in pigs worldwide and may be zoonotic. Previous HEV seroprevalence estimates for groups of people working with swine were higher than for control groups. However, discordance among results of anti-HEV assays means that true seroprevalence estimates, i.e. seroprevalence due to previous exposure to HEV, depends on choice of seroassay. We tested blood samples from three subpopulations (49 swine veterinarians, 153 non-swine veterinarians and 644 randomly selected individuals from the general population) with one IgM and two IgG ELISAs, and subsets with IgG and/or IgM Western blots. A Bayesian stochastical model was used to combine results of all assays. The model accounted for imperfection of each assay by estimating sensitivity and specificity, and accounted for dependence between serological assays. As expected, discordance among assay results occurred. Applying the model yielded seroprevalence estimates of ~11% for swine veterinarians, ~6% for non-swine veterinarians and ~2% for the general population. By combining the results of five serological assays in a Bayesian stochastical model we confirmed that exposure to swine or their environment was associated with elevated HEV seroprevalence.

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Hepatitis E Virus Infection among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, the Netherlands

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid1805.111712 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 869-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 99

Author(s):

Suzan D. Pas ◽

Rob A. de Man ◽

Claudia Mulders ◽

Aggie H.M.M. Balk ◽

Peter T.W. van Hal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virus Infection ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Organ Transplant ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Solid Organ Transplant ◽

Solid Organ ◽

Transplant Recipients ◽

Organ Transplant Recipients ◽

Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

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Hepatitis E virus seroprevalence and determinants in various study populations in the Netherlands

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0208522 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. e0208522 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

C. J. Alberts ◽

M. F. Schim van der Loeff ◽

S. Sadik ◽

F. R. Zuure ◽

E. J. A. J. Beune ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Hepatitis E

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The Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infections among Swine, Swine Farmers and the General Population in Guangdong Province, China

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0088106 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. e88106 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Huanbin Liang ◽

Shuo Su ◽

Shengchao Deng ◽

Honglang Gu ◽

Fangxiao Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Guangdong Province ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Virus Infections

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Hepatitis E Virus RNA in Commercial Porcine Livers in The Netherlands

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-70.12.2889 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 70 (12) ◽

pp. 2889-2895 ◽

Cited By ~ 144

Author(s):

MARTIJN BOUWKNEGT ◽

FROUKJE LODDER-VERSCHOOR ◽

WIM H. M. VAN DER POEL ◽

SASKIA A. RUTJES ◽

ANA MARIA DE RODA HUSMAN

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Blot Hybridization ◽

Rna Extraction ◽

Southern Blot Hybridization ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Extraction Methods ◽

High Dose ◽

Genotype 3 ◽

Potential Health

Human hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections by genotype 3 strains in industrialized countries are hypothesized to be caused by pigs. To examine this hypothesis, the potential health risks of transmission routes should be examined. Possible foodborne transmission was studied by quantifying the presence and infectivity of HEV in commercial porcine livers in The Netherlands. A comparison of four tissue disruption and seven RNA extraction methods revealed that mechanical disruption followed by silica-based RNA extraction gave the highest RNA yields and was therefore employed on commercial porcine livers. Four (6.5%) of 62 porcine livers were HEV RNA positive by reverse transcriptase PCR and Southern blot hybridization. Each positive liver was estimated to contain ∼65 PCR-detectable units per g. Sequences were obtained for three of four positive livers and classified as HEV genotype 3. Ninety-three percent similarity to Dutch human HEV sequences and 97% similarity to Dutch swine HEV sequences were observed. To determine whether positive livers contained infectious HEV particles, extracts from livers with known HEV RNA sequences were inoculated intravenously in pigs. Two control pigs were included: one was inoculated with a high dose known to result in infection (104 PCR-detectable units of HEV RNA), and the other was inoculated with a lower concentration of virus that equaled the concentration of PCR-detectable units in commercial livers (∼20 PCR-detectable units). Infection was observed in the high-dose control, but not in other pigs, suggesting a dose-dependent response in pigs. Hence, the implications of HEV RNA in commercial porcine livers in The Netherlands are unknown. However, HEV RNA is present in commercial porcine livers, and sufficient heating of porcine livers before consumption as precautionary measure is recommended.

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