First detection of genotype 3 hepatitis E virus RNA in river water in Cambodia

To identify and describe hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains in aquatic environments in Cambodia, we collected two river-water samples from upstream and downstream sites along the Siem Reap River and examined them for HEV using a virus concentration method followed by TaqMan reverse transcription PCR and genetic analysis of the PCR product. Genotype 3 HEV strain was detected from the river-water sample collected from the river downstream, indicating that genotype 3 HEV strains are circulating in this region. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating HEV contamination in aquatic environments in Cambodia.