Molecular detection of hepatitis E virus in sewage samples.
Human hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an emerging pathogen in industrialized countries. In Italy, the true burden of HEV infection is unknown. Molecular HEV screening of raw sewage samples from 11 wastewater treatment plants yielded 19 positives (16%; 18 genotype I, 1 genotype III) evenly distributed throughout Italy. Evidence that HEV could be establishing itself in our region is accumulating and may justify more active surveillance to monitor its spread.
La Rosa
Giuseppina
G
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Primary Prevention, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. giuseppina.larosa@iss.it
Pourshaban
Manoochehr
M
Iaconelli
Marcello
M
Vennarucci
Valentina Spuri
VS
Muscillo
Michele
M
D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D012722:Sewage / Q000821:virology*; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*
D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012722:Sewage