title: Hepatitis E virus seroprevalence of domestic pigs in Germany determined by a novel in-house and two reference ELISAs.
abstract: Autochthonous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections by zoonotic transmission of genotype 3 (GT3) have been reported increasingly from industrialized countries. In this paper the development and validation of an IgG ELISA for the detection of HEV-specific antibodies in domestic pigs is described. Comparison of the diagnostic value of Escherichia coli-expressed HEV-GT3 capsid protein (CP) derivatives revealed a carboxy-terminal derivative as most suitable. Validation of the in-house assay using a commercially available IgG ELISA revealed a high diagnostic specificity and sensitivity. The average HEV seroprevalence of domestic pigs from Germany and the federal state Baden-Wuerttemberg determined by the in-house test was 42.7% and 50.3%, respectively. The seroprevalence in different districts of Baden-Wuerttemberg ranged from 34.9% to 60%, but from 0% to 100% between different herds. These data were compared to those achieved by two commercially available ELISA kits and an in-house ratHEV-based ELISA. In conclusion, the CP-based in-house test proved sensitive and specific, indicating that the ORF3-encoded protein might be dispensable for diagnostics. The novel assay also allowed a parallel analysis by a homologous ratHEV-derived antigen. Thus, the novel IgG ELISA represents a useful tool for future standardized seroprevalence studies in domestic pigs from Germany and other regions of Europe.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dremsek
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joel
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baechlein
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavio
authors.forename: Anika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schielke
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziller
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dürrwald
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Groschup
authors.forename: Reimar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Johne
authors.forename: Andi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krumbholz
authors.forename: Rainer G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ulrich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011994:Recombinant Proteins