Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis E Virus in Wild and Domestic Rabbits in Australia

Maria Jenckel; Ina Smith; Tegan King; Peter West; Patrick L. Taggart; Tanja Strive; Robyn N. Hall

doi:10.3390/pathogens10121637

Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis E Virus in Wild and Domestic Rabbits in Australia

Maria Jenckel, Ina Smith, Tegan King, Peter West, Patrick L. Taggart, Tanja Strive, Robyn N. Hall

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Abstract

In 2020, Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was detected for the first time in Australian rabbits. To improve our understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of the virus, 1635 rabbit liver samples from locations across Australia were screened via RT-qPCR for HEV. HEV genomes were amplified and sequenced from 48 positive samples. Furthermore, we tested 380 serum samples from 11 locations across Australia for antibodies against HEV. HEV was detected in rabbits from all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. Seroprevalence varied between locations (from 0% to 22%), demonstrating that HEV is widely distributed in rabbit populations across Australia. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Australian HEV sequences are genetically diverse and that HEV was likely introduced into Australia independently on several occasions. In summary, this study broadens our understanding of the genetic diversity of rabbit HEV globally and shows that the virus is endemic in both domestic and wild rabbit populations in Australia.

Original language	English
Article number	1637
Pages (from-to)	1-13
Number of pages	13
Journal	Pathogens
Volume	10
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10121637
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

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title = "Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis E Virus in Wild and Domestic Rabbits in Australia",

abstract = "In 2020, Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was detected for the first time in Australian rabbits. To improve our understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of the virus, 1635 rabbit liver samples from locations across Australia were screened via RT-qPCR for HEV. HEV genomes were amplified and sequenced from 48 positive samples. Furthermore, we tested 380 serum samples from 11 locations across Australia for antibodies against HEV. HEV was detected in rabbits from all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. Seroprevalence varied between locations (from 0% to 22%), demonstrating that HEV is widely distributed in rabbit populations across Australia. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Australian HEV sequences are genetically diverse and that HEV was likely introduced into Australia independently on several occasions. In summary, this study broadens our understanding of the genetic diversity of rabbit HEV globally and shows that the virus is endemic in both domestic and wild rabbit populations in Australia.",

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note = "Funding Information: The project was co-funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (P.PSH.1059) and CSIRO. Rabbit tissue samples were obtained through projects funded by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (P01-B-002) and FeralScan/RabbitScan (P01-E-008). Wild rabbit serum samples were obtained through a previous project funded by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (3.L.1c). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.3390/pathogens10121637",

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AU - King, Tegan

AU - West, Peter

AU - Taggart, Patrick L.

AU - Strive, Tanja

AU - Hall, Robyn N.

N1 - Funding Information: The project was co-funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (P.PSH.1059) and CSIRO. Rabbit tissue samples were obtained through projects funded by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (P01-B-002) and FeralScan/RabbitScan (P01-E-008). Wild rabbit serum samples were obtained through a previous project funded by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (3.L.1c). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - In 2020, Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was detected for the first time in Australian rabbits. To improve our understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of the virus, 1635 rabbit liver samples from locations across Australia were screened via RT-qPCR for HEV. HEV genomes were amplified and sequenced from 48 positive samples. Furthermore, we tested 380 serum samples from 11 locations across Australia for antibodies against HEV. HEV was detected in rabbits from all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. Seroprevalence varied between locations (from 0% to 22%), demonstrating that HEV is widely distributed in rabbit populations across Australia. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Australian HEV sequences are genetically diverse and that HEV was likely introduced into Australia independently on several occasions. In summary, this study broadens our understanding of the genetic diversity of rabbit HEV globally and shows that the virus is endemic in both domestic and wild rabbit populations in Australia.

AB - In 2020, Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was detected for the first time in Australian rabbits. To improve our understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of the virus, 1635 rabbit liver samples from locations across Australia were screened via RT-qPCR for HEV. HEV genomes were amplified and sequenced from 48 positive samples. Furthermore, we tested 380 serum samples from 11 locations across Australia for antibodies against HEV. HEV was detected in rabbits from all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. Seroprevalence varied between locations (from 0% to 22%), demonstrating that HEV is widely distributed in rabbit populations across Australia. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Australian HEV sequences are genetically diverse and that HEV was likely introduced into Australia independently on several occasions. In summary, this study broadens our understanding of the genetic diversity of rabbit HEV globally and shows that the virus is endemic in both domestic and wild rabbit populations in Australia.

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Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis E Virus in Wild and Domestic Rabbits in Australia

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