Nationwide survey of hepatitis E virus infection among wildlife in Japan

Abstract

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.