RT journal article
T1 Serological and molecular survey of hepatitis E virus in cats and dogs in Spain
A1 Caballero Gómez, Javier
A1 Rivero Juarez, Antonio
A1 Jurado Tarifa, Estefanía
A1 Jiménez Martín, Débora
A1 Jiménez Ruiz, Elena
A1 Castro Scholten, Sabrina
A1 Ulrich, Rainer G
A1 López López, Pedro
A1 Rivero, Antonio
A1 García Bocanegra, Ignacio
A2 BiomedicinaBiotecnología y Salud Pública
K1 Hepatitis E
K1 Orthohepevirus A
K1 Orthohepevirus C
K1 cat
K1 dog
K1 survey
K1 zoonoses
AB Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that is currently recognized as one of the major causes of acute human hepatitis worldwide. In Europe, the increasing number of hepatitis E cases is mainly associated with the consumption of animal food products or contact with infected animals. Dogs and cats have been suggested as a zoonotic source of HEV infection. The aim of this study was to assess Orthohepevirus circulation, including HEV-A, HEV-B and HEV-C species, in sympatric urban cats and dogs in southern Spain. Between 2017 and 2020, blood samples were collected from 144 stray cats and 152 dogs, both strays and pets. The presence of antibodies against HEV were tested using a double-antigen sandwich ELISA and seropositive samples were further analysed by western blot. A RT-PCR was performed to detect RNA of Orthohepevirus species (HEV-A, HEV-B and HEV-C). A total of 19 (6.4%; 95%CI: 3.6-9.2) of the 296 animals tested showed anti-HEV antibodies by ELISA. Seropositivity was significantly higher in dogs (9.9%; 15/152; 95%CI: 5.1-14.6) than in cats (2.8%; 4/144; 95%CI: 0.1-5.5). Ten of the 18 ELISA-positive animals that could be further analysed by western blot, reacted against HEV-3 and/or HEV-C1 antigens, which suggest circulation of both genotypes in urban cats and dogs in the study area. However, HEV-A, HEV-B and HEV-C RNA were not detected in any of the tested sera. This is the first study to assess HEV circulation in both stray cats and dogs in Europe. Our results provide evidence of HEV exposure in sympatric urban cat and dog populations in southern Spain. Further studies are needed to determine the role of these species in the epidemiology of HEV.
PB Wiley
SN 1865-1682
YR 2022
FD 2022-01-07
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38867
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38867
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026