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. 2013 Apr;19(4):559-65.
doi: 10.3201/eid1904.120827.

Transmission of hepatitis E virus from rabbits to cynomolgus macaques

Peng Liu  1 , Qiu-Ning Bu, Ling Wang, Jian Han, Ren-Jie Du, Ya-Xin Lei, Yu-Qing Ouyang, Jie Li, Yong-Hong Zhu, Feng-Min Lu, Hui Zhuang
Affiliations

Transmission of hepatitis E virus from rabbits to cynomolgus macaques

Peng Liu et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

The recent discovery of hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains in rabbits in the People's Republic of China and the United States revealed that rabbits are another noteworthy reservoir of HEV. However, whether HEV from rabbits can infect humans is unclear. To study the zoonotic potential for and pathogenesis of rabbit HEV, we infected 2 cynomolgus macaques and 2 rabbits with an HEV strain from rabbits in China. Typical hepatitis developed in both monkeys; they exhibited elevated liver enzymes, viremia, virus shedding in fecal specimens, and seroconversion. Comparison of the complete genome sequence of HEV passed in the macaques with that of the inoculum showed 99.8% nucleotide identity. Rabbit HEV RNA (positive- and negative-stranded) was detectable in various tissues from the experimentally infected rabbits, indicating that extrahepatic replication may be common. Thus, HEV is transmissible from rabbits to cynomolgus macaques, which suggests that rabbits may be a new source of human HEV infection.

Keywords: Cynomolgus macaques; cross-species transmission; extrahepatic replication, viruses; rabbit hepatitis E virus; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Cross-species transmission of rabbit hepatitis E virus (HEV) to 2 cynomolgus macaques (Cy1 and Cy2). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are plotted as U/L. The baseline ALT levels were 33 U/L and 38 U/L for Cy1 and Cy2, respectively. The titers of HEV IgM and IgG are plotted as ELISA signal-to-cutoff (S/CO) values. Presence and absence of HEV RNA in serum or feces are indicated by + and – signs, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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