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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2001, p. 3040-3046, Vol. 39, No. 9
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.9.3040-3046.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Evidence of Extrahepatic Sites of Replication of
the Hepatitis E Virus in a Swine Model
T. P. E.
Williams,1
C.
Kasorndorkbua,2
P. G.
Halbur,2
G.
Haqshenas,1
D. K.
Guenette,1
T. E.
Toth,1 and
X. J.
Meng1,*
Center for Molecular Medicine and Infection
Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, College
of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, Blacksburg, Virginia,1 and
Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Animal Production
Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University,
Ames, Iowa2
Received 4 April 2001/Returned for modification 12 June
2001/Accepted 23 June 2001
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the major cause of enterically
transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis in many developing countries and is
also endemic in many industrialized countries. Due to the lack of an
effective cell culture system and a practical animal model, the
mechanisms of HEV pathogenesis and replication are poorly understood.
Our recent identification of swine HEV from pigs affords us an
opportunity to systematically study HEV replication and pathogenesis in
a swine model. In an early study, we experimentally infected
specific-pathogen-free pigs with two strains of HEV: swine HEV and the
US-2 strain of human HEV. Eighteen pigs (group 1) were inoculated
intravenously with swine HEV, 19 pigs (group 2) were inoculated with
the US-2 strain of human HEV, and 17 pigs (group 3) were used as
uninoculated controls. The clinical and pathological findings have been
previously reported. In this expanded study, we aim to identify the
potential extrahepatic sites of HEV replication using the swine model.
Two pigs from each group were necropsied at 3, 7, 14, 20, 27, and 55 days postinoculation (DPI). Thirteen different types of tissues and
organs were collected from each necropsied animal. Reverse
transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was used to detect the presence of
positive-strand HEV RNA in each tissue collected during necropsy at
different DPI. A negative-strand-specific RT-PCR was standardized and
used to detect the replicative, negative strand of HEV RNA from tissues
that tested positive for the positive-strand RNA. As expected,
positive-strand HEV RNA was detected in almost every type of tissue at
some time point during the viremic period between 3 and 27 DPI.
Positive-strand HEV RNA was still detectable in some tissues in the
absence of serum HEV RNA from both swine HEV- and human HEV-inoculated
pigs. However, replicative, negative-strand HEV RNA was detected
primarily in the small intestines, lymph nodes, colons, and livers. Our
results indicate that HEV replicates in tissues other than the liver.
The data from this study may have important implications for HEV
pathogenesis, xenotransplantation, and the development of an in vitro
cell culture system for HEV.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for
Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, 1410 Prices Fork Rd., Blacksburg, VA
24061-0342. Phone: (540) 231-6912. Fax: (540) 231-3476. E-mail:
xjmeng{at}vt.edu.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2001, p. 3040-3046, Vol. 39, No. 9
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.9.3040-3046.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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