Philip El-Duah1,2, Dickson Dei3,4, Tabea Binger2, Augustina Sylverken2,5, Robert Wollny6, William Tasiame1,4, Samuel Oppong7, Yaw Adu-Sarkodie8, Benjamin Emikpe4, Raphael Folitse4, Jan Felix Drexler1, Richard Phillips2, Christian Drosten1,9, Victor Max Corman1,9. 1. Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany. 2. Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kumasi, Ghana. 3. Ghana Veterinary Service, Kumasi, Ghana. 4. School of Veterinary Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 5. Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 6. Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany. 7. Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 8. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. 9. German Centre for Infection Research, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of human hepatitis worldwide. Zoonotic genotypes of the virus have been found in diverse animal species with pigs playing a major role. Putative risk of zoonotic infection from livestock particularly swine in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana is poorly understood due to scarcity of available data, especially HEV sequence information. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from cattle, sheep, goats and pigs from Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Samples were subjected to nested RT-PCR screening and quantification of HEV RNA-positive samples using real-time RT-PCR and the World Health Organization International Standard for HEV. Testing of all pig samples for antibodies was done by ELISA. Sanger sequencing and genotyping was performed and one representative complete genome was generated to facilitate genome-wide comparison to other available African HEV sequences by phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 420 samples were available from cattle (n = 105), goats (n = 124), pigs (n = 89) and sheep (n = 102). HEV Viral RNA was detected only in pig samples (10.1%). The antibody detection rate in pigs was 77.5%, with positive samples from all sampling sites. Average viral load was 1 × 105 (range 1.02 × 103 to 3.17 × 105) International Units per mL of serum with no statistically significant differences between age groups (≤ 6 month, > 6 months) by a T-test comparison of means (t = 1.4272, df = 7, p = 0.1966). Sequences obtained in this study form a monophyletic group within HEV genotype 3. Sequences from Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Madagascar were found to share a most recent common ancestor; however this was not the case for other African HEV sequences. CONCLUSION: HEV genotype 3 is highly endemic in pigs in Ghana and likely poses a zoonotic risk to people exposed to pigs. HEV genotype 3 in Ghana shares a common origin with other virus strains from Sub-Saharan Africa.
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of human hepatitis worldwide. Zoonotic genotypes of the virus have been found in diverse animal species with pigs playing a major role. Putative risk of zoonotic infection from livestock particularly swine in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana is poorly understood due to scarcity of available data, especially HEV sequence information. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from cattle, sheep, goats and pigs from Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Samples were subjected to nested RT-PCR screening and quantification of HEV RNA-positive samples using real-time RT-PCR and the World Health Organization International Standard for HEV. Testing of all pig samples for antibodies was done by ELISA. Sanger sequencing and genotyping was performed and one representative complete genome was generated to facilitate genome-wide comparison to other available African HEV sequences by phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 420 samples were available from cattle (n = 105), goats (n = 124), pigs (n = 89) and sheep (n = 102). HEV Viral RNA was detected only in pig samples (10.1%). The antibody detection rate in pigs was 77.5%, with positive samples from all sampling sites. Average viral load was 1 × 105 (range 1.02 × 103 to 3.17 × 105) International Units per mL of serum with no statistically significant differences between age groups (≤ 6 month, > 6 months) by a T-test comparison of means (t = 1.4272, df = 7, p = 0.1966). Sequences obtained in this study form a monophyletic group within HEV genotype 3. Sequences from Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Madagascar were found to share a most recent common ancestor; however this was not the case for other African HEV sequences. CONCLUSION: HEV genotype 3 is highly endemic in pigs in Ghana and likely poses a zoonotic risk to people exposed to pigs. HEV genotype 3 in Ghana shares a common origin with other virus strains from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Authors: Yvonnick Guillois; Florence Abravanel; Takayuki Miura; Nicole Pavio; Véronique Vaillant; Sébastien Lhomme; Françoise S Le Guyader; Nicolas Rose; Jean-Claude Le Saux; Lisa A King; Jacques Izopet; Elisabeth Couturier Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2015-10-01 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Patrick C Y Woo; Susanna K P Lau; Jade L L Teng; Kai-Yuan Cao; Ulrich Wernery; Tony Schountz; Tsz Ho Chiu; Alan K L Tsang; Po-Chun Wong; Emily Y M Wong; Kwok-Yung Yuen Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2016-12 Impact factor: 6.883