Abstract
Hepatitis E is a rare human disease in Central Europe commonly imported from endemic regions. For autochthonous infections a zoonotic transmission from pigs, deer and wild boar is assumed. Using three different RT-PCR protocols, hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA was detected in 10 out of 189 (5.3%) serum samples collected in 1995/1996 from wild boars in Germany. Sequence analysis indicates a close relationship with genotype 3 isolates of pigs and humans from the Netherlands and Japan. The results indicate that HEV is present in Germany since more than 10 years and that wild boar may function as a reservoir for HEV.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Wild / virology
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Capsid Proteins / genetics
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Disease Reservoirs / veterinary
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Disease Reservoirs / virology
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Female
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Gene Amplification
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Genotype
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Germany / epidemiology
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Hepatitis E / epidemiology
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Hepatitis E / transmission
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Hepatitis E / veterinary*
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Hepatitis E virus / classification
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Hepatitis E virus / genetics
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Hepatitis E virus / isolation & purification*
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Humans
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Male
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Phylogeny
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Prevalence
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RNA, Viral / analysis
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
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Species Specificity
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Sus scrofa / virology*
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Swine Diseases / epidemiology*
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Swine Diseases / transmission
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Zoonoses / virology
Substances
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Capsid Proteins
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RNA, Viral