Surveillance of Hepatitis E Virus Contamination in Shellfish in China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Shenyang Gao¹  Dandan Li³  Enhui Zha²  Tiezhong Zhou¹  Shen Wang¹  Xiqing Yue¹ 

[1] Department of Food Science, Shenyang Agricultral University, Shenyang 110161, China; E-Mails:;Department of Food Science, Liaoning Medical University, No. 5-48 Renmin Street, Jinzhou 121001, China; E-Mail:;Animal Quarantine Lab, Inspection & Quarantine Technology Center of Hainan Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau, Haikou 570000, China; E-Mail:

关键词: hepatitis E virus;    shellfish;    sub-genotype 4;    Bohai Gulf;    RT-PCR;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120202026

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been confirmed to be a zoonotic virus of worldwide distribution. HEV contamination in the water environment has not been well examined in China. The objective of this study was to evaluate HEV contamination in shellfish in a coastal area of China. Such contamination would be significant for evaluating public health risks. Methods: samples of three species shellfish were collected from thirteen points of estuarine tidal flats around the Bohai Gulf and screened for HEV RNA using an in-house nested RT-PCR assay. The detected HEV-positive samples were further verified by gene cloning and sequencing analysis. Results: the overall HEV-positive detection rate is approximately 17.5% per kilogram of shellfish.  HEV was more common among S. subcrenata (28.2%), followed by A. granosa (14.3%) and R. philippinarum (11.5%). The phylogenetic analysis of the 13 HEV strains detected revealed that gene fragments fell into two known 4 sub-genotypes (4b/4d) groups and another unknown group. Conclusions: 13 different sub-genotype 4 HEVs were found in contaminated shellfish in the Bohai Gulf rim. The findings suggest that a health risk may exist for users of waters in the Bonhai area and to consumers of shellfish.  Further research is needed to assess the sources and infectivity of HEV in these settings, and to evaluate additional shellfish harvesting areas.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.