title: Hepatitis E Virus Seroprevalence in Free-Ranging Deer in Canada.
abstract: Hepatitis E virus infection (HEV) is an important public health concern not only in traditional endemic areas, but also in some industrialized countries where both domesticated and wild animals have been recognized as potential zoonotic reservoirs implicated in HEV transmission. While the prevalence of infection in the deer population in Europe and Asia has been thoroughly investigated, it remains largely undetermined in North America. We assessed the presence of HEV in three different species of free-range deer in Canada. The seroprevalence of HEV among deer in Canada was 8.8% in white-tailed deer, 4.5% in mule deer and 3.2% in caribou. Hepatitis E virus RNA was not detected. Overall, data indicate that HEV infection occurs in deer in Canada. The absence of viraemia and the low seroprevalence especially in barren-ground caribou which is an important part of the diet in many northern communities suggests that the risk of zoonotic transmission may be less pronounced compared to other countries.
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weger
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Division, Wildlife Veterinarian, Government of NorthWest Territories Environment & Natural Resources, Yellowknife, NT, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elkin
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bollinger
authors.affiliation: Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch, Manitoba Conservation, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Crichton
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andonov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003670:Deer; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: 
  PCR
  ; deer; hepatitis E virus; seroprevalence; wildlife; zoonosis