title: Hepatitis E virus in liver and bile samples from slaughtered pigs of Brazil.
abstract: The objective of this study was to detect and identify hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains in liver and bile samples from slaughtered pigs in the state of Paraná, Brazil. Liver and bile samples were collected from 118 asymptomatic adult pigs at a slaughterhouse in a major Brazilian pork production area. The samples were assayed using a nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction protocol with primer sets targeting open reading frames (ORF)1 and 2 of the HEV genome. HEV RNA was detected in two (1.7%) liver samples and one (0.84%) bile sample using both primers sets. The HEV strains were classified as genotype 3b on the basis of their nucleotide sequences. These data suggest that healthy pigs may be a source of HEV infection for consumers of pig liver and slaughterhouse workers in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Laboratório de Virologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, PR, Brasil. no_rovaris@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Noemi Rovaris
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Gardinali
authors.forename: Aline Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Rodrigo Alejandro Arellano
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Otonel
authors.forename: Alice Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Alfieri
authors.forename: Amauri Alcindo
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alfieri
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000821:virology*; D001938:Brazil; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000821:virology*