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Scientific reports2023; 13(1); 19240; doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-46009-y

Anti-HEV seroprevalence and rate of viremia in a German cohort of dogs, cats, and horses.

Abstract: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 infections in Germany are mainly transmitted zoonotically through the consumption of swine meat. Furthermore, there is evidence that pets might come into contact with HEV, but the relevance of companion animals as possible sources of HEV transmission in Germany still needs to be defined. A monitoring study was therefore carried out on dogs, cats, and horses from Germany. In total 365 serum samples from pets (124 dogs, 119 cats, and 122 horses) were tested for HEV by PCR and for anti-HEV antibodies by a commercial ELISA. The HEV seroprevalence determined by the sero-assay varied significantly between dogs (10%), cats (6%), and horses (2%). Liver injury-related enzymes, alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) showed no differences between HEV-positive or negative animals. None of the pet serum samples tested positive for PCR. This serological study suggests that dogs and cats are significantly exposed to HEV in Germany, while horses are of minor relevance.
© 2023. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2023-11-07 PubMed ID: 37935733PubMed Central: PMC10630430DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46009-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Research Summary

  • This study investigated how common Hepatitis E virus (HEV) exposure is among pet dogs, cats, and horses in Germany.
  • It also examined whether these animals carry active HEV infections that could potentially transmit the virus to humans.

Background and Objective

  • HEV genotype 3 is prevalent in Germany and primarily infects humans through eating contaminated pork products.
  • There is some evidence that household pets might also be exposed to HEV, but it is unclear if they play a role in spreading the virus to people.
  • The research aims to clarify the extent of HEV exposure (seroprevalence) and detect any active virus (viremia) in dogs, cats, and horses.
  • Understanding this could help assess risks related to companion animals in HEV transmission dynamics.

Methods

  • The study collected a total of 365 serum samples from pets in Germany: 124 dogs, 119 cats, and 122 horses.
  • Two main tests were used to assess HEV status:
    • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect HEV RNA, indicating active viral infection or viremia.
    • Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to detect anti-HEV antibodies, indicating past or ongoing exposure to HEV.
  • Additionally, liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels were measured as markers of liver injury to check if HEV exposure or infection affected liver function in these animals.

Key Findings

  • Seroprevalence results indicated significant differences among the species:
    • Dogs had a 10% seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies.
    • Cats showed a 6% seroprevalence.
    • Horses had the lowest seroprevalence at 2%.
  • No samples from any species tested positive for HEV RNA by PCR, suggesting no active or current HEV infections detected in the sampled population.
  • Levels of liver enzymes (ALT and AST) did not differ significantly between animals that were seropositive versus seronegative, suggesting that detected HEV exposure was not associated with liver damage in these pets.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The presence of anti-HEV antibodies in dogs and cats indicates that these pets have been exposed to HEV, presumably through environmental or food sources, but horses appear less frequently exposed.
  • Absence of HEV RNA in the serum samples means that pets in this study were not actively infected or shedding virus at the time of sampling, which lowers the likelihood they constitute a direct zoonotic risk to humans.
  • This study suggests that while companion animals such as dogs and cats are exposed to HEV in Germany, they likely play a minor role as sources of active HEV infection transmission to people.
  • Further research may be needed to understand the mechanisms of pet exposure and to rule out other possible routes of indirect transmission.

Cite This Article

APA
Pischke S, Knoop EV, Mader M, Kling L, Wolski A, Wagner A, Mueller K, Horvatits T, Stiller J, Wisnewski K, Kohn B, Schulze Zur Wiesch J, Groschup MH, Eiden M. (2023). Anti-HEV seroprevalence and rate of viremia in a German cohort of dogs, cats, and horses. Sci Rep, 13(1), 19240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46009-y

Publication

Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
NlmUniqueID: 101563288
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 19240
PII: 19240

Researcher Affiliations

Pischke, S
  • Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. s.pischke@uke.de.
  • German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner Sites, Hamburg, Germany. s.pischke@uke.de.
Knoop, E V
  • SYNLAB.Vet GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Mader, M
  • Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Kling, L
  • SYNLAB.Vet GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Wolski, A
  • Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Wagner, A
  • Vetambulanz Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Mueller, K
  • Small Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Horvatits, T
  • Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Stiller, J
  • Small Animal Clinic, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Wisnewski, K
  • Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Kohn, B
  • Small Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Schulze Zur Wiesch, J
  • Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
  • German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner Sites, Hamburg, Germany.
Groschup, M H
  • German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner Sites, Hamburg, Germany.
  • Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Eiden, M
  • German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner Sites, Hamburg, Germany.
  • Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Cat Diseases
  • Dog Diseases / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis E / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis E / veterinary
  • Hepatitis E virus
  • Horses
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Viremia

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
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