title: Evidence for widespread infection of hepatitis E virus among wild rats in Japan.
abstract: Sporadic cases of hepatitis E have been reported in industrialized countries, including Japan. The source of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in these patients is unknown, although zoonotic transmission has been suggested. To investigate whether or not rodents might be a reservoir of HEV, we conducted an epidemiological survey for the antibody to a recombinant capsid protein of HEV using serum samples from wild rodents in Japan. One hundred and fourteen of 362 (31.5%) Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and 12 of 90 (13.3%) black rats (Rattus rattus) were positive for anti-HEV IgG. In contrast, all of the sera from 55 mice were negative for anti-HEV IgG. The rate of antibody positivity increased with weight among Norway rats. Seropositive rats were found in all five districts surveyed in this study, but the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG in wild rats differed among these prefectures. Despite the fact that Japan is a non-endemic country of hepatitis E, widespread infection of HEV was observed among wild rats in Japan. Our results suggested that HEV or a closely related virus is circulating among wild rats in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjukuku, 162-8640, Tokyo, Japan
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Tian Cheng
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Naokazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Teruki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadosaka
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: Masaji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanikawa
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe