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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Nasal Wipes for Influenza A Virus Detection and Isolation from Swine
Published on: December 4, 2015
Human and swine hepatitis E viruses from Western India belong to different genotypes
Vidya A Arankalle1, Leenata P Chobe, Manohar V Joshi
1Hepatitis Division, National Institute of Virology, 20-A, Dr Ambedkar Road, 411001, Pune, India. aarankalle@hotmail.com
Background/Aims:
Hepatitis E is endemic in India. Earlier, we showed prevalence of IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus (IgG-anti-HEV) in different animal species and inability of at least one human hepatitis E virus (HEV) strain to infect pigs. In the US where hepatitis E is not endemic in humans, zoonotic spread of HEV was suspected as swine and human HEV were closely related and cross-species infection was documented. The present study attempts to identify and partially characterize swine HEV from India.
Methods:
Serum samples from 284 pigs were screened for the presence of HEV-RNA (nested polymerase chain reaction; PCR) and IgG-anti-HEV (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; ELISA). PCR products (Open Reading Frame-2 region) were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Two sero-negative pigs were inoculated with swine HEV-positive serum pool.
Results:
ELISA and PCR positivity were 42.9 and 4.6%, respectively. All Indian swine HEV sequences clustered with genotype IV. Pigs could be experimentally infected with swine HEV.
Conclusions:
Swine HEV circulates in Indian pigs. In contrast to US and Taiwan wherein both human and swine HEV isolates belong to same genotype, Indian human HEV isolates belong to genotype I whereas genotype IV circulates in swine. Though experimental infection with Indian swine HEV was possible, at least one human HEV strain could not infect pigs.
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