title: Seroepidemiology and molecular characterization of hepatitis E Virus in Macaca mulatta from a village in Yunnan, China, where infection with this virus is endemic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a significant public health concern and has been identified as a zoonotic infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Since no reports have characterized the epidemiological and genotypic features of HEV infections in Macaca mulatta (rhesus macaques) from Yunnan, China, where swine HEV infections are endemic, we aimed to investigate these characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seroepidemiological and molecular characterization of HEV in both Macaca mulatta and pigs from the Yunnan province of China were conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-nested PCR (RT-nPCR). Four hundred and eighty-two stool samples (320 from Macaca mulatta and 162 from pigs) and 92 serum samples (all from Macaca mulatta) were collected for the detection of HEV RNA and anti-HEV antibodies (IgG/IgM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three rhesus macaques (35.87%) were positive for HEV IgG. Of these, 3 were also positive for HEV IgM. Four different strains of swine HEV RNA were detected in pigs; however, we failed to detect any in Macaca mulatta.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate that Macaca mulatta may not be a natural reservoir of HEV.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wenhai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiuguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Shenrong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Weikun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Zhanlong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He