title: Phylogenetic analysis of Hepatitis E virus strains isolated from slaughter-age pigs in Colombia.
abstract: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic virus that causes acute hepatitis in humans, and can be transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Pigs are considered to be a reservoir for this infection-mainly where the disease is not endemic. In a previous study conducted in Antioquia, which is a region in Colombia where the production and consumption of pork meat is higher than in the rest of the country, the presence of anti-HEV IgG-type antibodies was reported in slaughter-age pigs. Aiming to identify the HEV genotype circulating in swine, animal liver, and feces samples from five swine cattle slaughterhouses located in six different sub-regions of Antioquia were collected. A nested RT-PCR (nRT-PCR) was used in order to amplify the HEV ORF-1 (170bp) and ORF-2 (348, and 958bp). The amplicons yielded in this study were sequenced, and a molecular phylogeny analysis based on the maximum likelihood method, including HEV sequences reported in several countries, was performed. Phylogeny analysis revealed that HEV amplification fragments from Antioquia's pigs were grouped in three clades within the sub-genotype 3a without a specific geographical structure, and were also genetically related to Japanese and American HEV sequences. This analysis provides the first approach on the genetic diversity and circulation dynamics of HEV in Colombian herds.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Grupo Biodiversidad y Genética Molecular BIOGEM, Calle 59A N°63-020, Autopista Norte, Bloque 50, Piso 3, Oficina 310, Medellín, Colombia; Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Laboratorio de Patología Veterinaria, Grupo de Investigación en Patobiología QUIRON, Calle 70 N°52-21, Medellín, Colombia; Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Circular 73 Nº 35-04. Medellín, Colombia. Electronic address: jforeroduarte@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Forero
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Grupo Biodiversidad y Genética Molecular BIOGEM, Calle 59A N°63-020, Autopista Norte, Bloque 50, Piso 3, Oficina 310, Medellín, Colombia; Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Calle 78B N°72A-109, Medellín, Colombia; Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Circular 73 Nº 35-04. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Vergara
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Grupo Biodiversidad y Genética Molecular BIOGEM, Calle 59A N°63-020, Autopista Norte, Bloque 50, Piso 3, Oficina 310, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parra Suescún
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Grupo Biodiversidad y Genética Molecular BIOGEM, Calle 59A N°63-020, Autopista Norte, Bloque 50, Piso 3, Oficina 310, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Laboratorio de Patología Veterinaria, Grupo de Investigación en Patobiología QUIRON, Calle 70 N°52-21, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Berardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Calle 78B N°72A-109, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Lina A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad de Medicina, Grupo de Inmunovirología, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Calle 62 N°52-59, Laboratorio 532, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Grupo Biodiversidad y Genética Molecular BIOGEM, Calle 59A N°63-020, Autopista Norte, Bloque 50, Piso 3, Oficina 310, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Albeiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Herrera
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005838:Genotype; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D008460:Meat / Q000821:virology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014764:Viral Proteins
keywords: Hepatitis E; Pigs; Slaughterhouses; Zoonosis