Serological and genetic diversity of hepatitis E virus among rabbits population in Egypt

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has a worldwide distribution and represents an important cause of acute hepatitis. Data on rabbit HEV prevalence and genetic diversity in hyperendemic regions (Egypt) are limited, per the information on rabbit HEV's implications for human pathology.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HEV infection in farmed rabbits from hyperendemic (Egypt) regions, as well as to examine the genetic relatedness of rabbit strains to human strains isolated in these regions.

Anti-HEV was tested by ELISA from 164 serum samples isolated from rabbits in Egypt. HEV RNA was tested using reverse transcription of a nested polymerase chain reaction with degenerative primers to open reading frames 2 in feces samples from 355 farmed rabbits from Egypt (3 farms from different regions).

All of the animals were between the ages of 2 and 24 months. Age groups at various governorates, with the bulk of infections occurring between the ages of 2 and 12 months. HEV RNA prevalence in rabbits at the age between 2 and 12 months was varied in different governorates from 13.40%, 18.20%, and 32.10% in Qena, Luxor, and Assiut, respectively. While at the age between 12 and 24 months, HEV RNA prevalence in rabbits was 0.0%, 3.70%, and 4.30% in Assiut, Qena, and Luxor, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis did not reveal any relatedness of rabbit HEV strains neither to HEV genotype 3 sequences from patients with autochthonous hepatitis E in Egypt.

HEV is prevalent in rabbits from Egypt with other rabbit strains belonging to species-specific group which is close to genotype 3.