title: Assessment of Domestic Pigs, Wild Boars and Feral Hybrid Pigs as Reservoirs of Hepatitis E Virus in Corsica, France.
abstract: In Corsica, extensive pig breeding systems allow frequent interactions between wild boars and domestic pigs, which are suspected to act as reservoirs of several zoonotic diseases including hepatitis E virus (HEV). In this context, 370 sera and 166 liver samples were collected from phenotypically characterized as pure or hybrid wild boars, between 2009 and 2012. In addition, serum and liver from 208 domestic pigs belonging to 30 farms were collected at the abattoir during the end of 2013. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 26% (21%-31.6%) of the pure wild boar, 43.5% (31%-56.7%) of hybrid wild boar and 88% (82.6%-91.9%) of the domestic pig sera. In addition, HEV RNA was detected in five wild boars, three hybrid wild boars and two domestic pig livers tested. Our findings provide evidence that both domestic pig and wild boar (pure and hybrid) act as reservoirs of HEV in Corsica, representing an important zoonotic risk for Corsican hunters and farmers but also for the large population of consumers of raw pig liver specialties produced in Corsica. In addition, hybrid wild boars seem to play an important ecological role in the dissemination of HEV between domestic pig and wild boar populations, unnoticed to date, that deserves further investigation.
authors.affiliation: UPR AGIRS (Integrated Animal Risk Management Unit), CIRAD (International Agricultural Research Center for Development), Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier 34398, France. ferran.jori@cirad.fr.|Department of Animal Science and Production, BUAN (Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Ressources), Private Bag 0037, Gaborone, Botswana. ferran.jori@cirad.fr.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jori
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche sur le Développement de l'Elevage (LRDE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Corte 20250, France. mlaval@etu.isara.fr.
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laval
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche sur le Développement de l'Elevage (LRDE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Corte 20250, France. oscar.maestrini@inra.fr.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Maestrini
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche sur le Développement de l'Elevage (LRDE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Corte 20250, France. francoiscasabianca@inra.fr.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Casabianca
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche sur le Développement de l'Elevage (LRDE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Corte 20250, France. francois.charrier@inra.fr.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Charrier
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Laboratory, UMR 1161 Virology, ANSES, Maisons-Alfort 94706, France. nicole.pavio@anses.fr.|UMR 1161 Virology, INRA, Maisons-Alfort 94706, France. nicole.pavio@anses.fr.|UMR 1161 Virology, National Veterinary School, PRES University Paris 12, Maisons-Alfort 94706, France. nicole.pavio@anses.fr.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002678:Chimera; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Corsica; Sus scrofa; domestic pig; hepatitis E virus; hybrids; wild boar; zoonoses