Detection of Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 3 in Feces of Capybaras (Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris) in Brazil

Lia Cunha; Adriana Luchs; Lais S Azevedo; Vanessa C M Silva; Marcilio F Lemos; Antonio C Costa; Adriana P Compri; Yasmin França; Ellen Viana; Fernanda Malta; Roberta S Medeiros; Raquel Guiducci; Simone G Morillo; Michele S Gomes-Gouvea; Deyvid Amgarten; João R R Pinho; Regina C Moreira

doi:10.3390/v15020335

Detection of Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 3 in Feces of Capybaras (Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris) in Brazil

Viruses. 2023 Jan 24;15(2):335. doi: 10.3390/v15020335.

Authors

Lia Cunha¹, Adriana Luchs¹, Lais S Azevedo¹, Vanessa C M Silva¹, Marcilio F Lemos¹, Antonio C Costa², Adriana P Compri¹, Yasmin França¹, Ellen Viana¹, Fernanda Malta³, Roberta S Medeiros¹, Raquel Guiducci¹, Simone G Morillo¹, Michele S Gomes-Gouvea², Deyvid Amgarten³, João R R Pinho^{2

3}, Regina C Moreira¹

Affiliations

¹ Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo 01246-902, Brazil.
² Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil.
³ Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo 05652-900, Brazil.

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen associated with relevant public health issues. The aim of this study was to investigate HEV presence in free-living capybaras inhabiting urban parks in São Paulo state, Brazil. Molecular characterization of HEV positive samples was undertaken to elucidate the genetic diversity of the virus in these animals. A total of 337 fecal samples were screened for HEV using RT-qPCR and further confirmed by conventional nested RT-PCR. HEV genotype and subtype were determined using Sanger and next-generation sequencing. HEV was detected in one specimen (0.3%) and assigned as HEV-3f. The IAL-HEV_921 HEV-3f strain showed a close relationship to European swine, wild boar and human strains (90.7-93.2% nt), suggesting an interspecies transmission. Molecular epidemiology of HEV is poorly investigated in Brazil; subtype 3f has been reported in swine. This is the first report of HEV detected in capybara stool samples worldwide.

Keywords: Hepatitis E virus; genotype 3; phylogeny; public health; zoonosis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Brazil / epidemiology
Feces
Genotype
Hepatitis E virus* / genetics
Humans
Rodentia
Swine

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) through grant numbers #2015/12944-9 and #2020/14786-0 to Adriana Luchs, #2020/02469-0 to Yasmin França, #2020/11182-6 to Roberta Salzone Medeiros. Fundo Especial de Saúde para Imunização em Massa e Controle de Doenças (FESIMA) CAF Nº #001/2021 and #060/2021 to Adriana Luchs. Antonio Charlys da Costa is supported by a scholarship from Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP) with funds donated by NUBANK under the #HCCOMVIDA scheme.