title: Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Hepatitis E Virus in a Canadian Swine Production Network.
abstract: Viral contamination along the production chain is a significant concern in both food safety and livestock health. Pigs have been reported to act as a reservoir for zoonotic viruses, sometimes emerging ones, and epidemiological studies have shown direct links between the consumption of uncooked pork offal and cases of hepatitis caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 in humans. The presence of HEV in swine herds has been reported, but its dissemination in pork production environments is still unknown. To investigate viral contamination sources in the swine industry, 452 environment and fecal samples, including samples from livestock transportation vehicles, were collected over a period of 11 months from ten farms and one slaughterhouse that together represent a single production network. Hepatitis E virus RNA was detected by nested RT-PCR in 32 samples from both inside and outside farm buildings, on trucks, and, mostly, from fomites collected in the slaughterhouse yard, such as on a utility vehicle. Phylogenetic analysis showed a wide diversity of HEV genotype 3 strains, similar to human and swine strains previously found. According to the results of this study, the movements of trucks and utility vehicles might play an important role in HEV dissemination on a slaughterhouse site and throughout an entire network.
authors.affiliation: NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Meat Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nantel-Fortier
authors.affiliation: NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Meat Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Letellier
authors.affiliation: NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Meat Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lachapelle
authors.affiliation: NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Meat Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fravalo
authors.affiliation: NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Meat Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, 3200 Rue Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Yvan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: L'Homme
authors.affiliation: Saint-Hyacinthe Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 3600 Casavant Boulevard West, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 8E3, Canada. julie.brassard@agr.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brassard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D059022:Food Safety; D005838:Genotype; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Hepatitis E virus; Phylogenetic analysis; Production network; Swine; Zoonosis