Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 3 and 4 (HEV-3 and HEV-4) cause zoonotic infection in humans, with domestic pigs and wild boars being the main reservoirs of infection. Other than suids, HEV-3 and HEV-4 are found in ruminants, most frequently in deer species. However, it is still debatable, whether...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/375 |
| _version_ | 1827756283049017344 |
|---|---|
| author | Anastasia A. Karlsen Vera S. Kichatova Karen K. Kyuregyan Mikhail I. Mikhailov |
| author_facet | Anastasia A. Karlsen Vera S. Kichatova Karen K. Kyuregyan Mikhail I. Mikhailov |
| author_sort | Anastasia A. Karlsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 3 and 4 (HEV-3 and HEV-4) cause zoonotic infection in humans, with domestic pigs and wild boars being the main reservoirs of infection. Other than suids, HEV-3 and HEV-4 are found in ruminants, most frequently in deer species. However, it is still debatable, whether HEV infection in deer is a spillover, or indicates a stable virus circulation in these host species. To explore the patterns of HEV-3 and HEV-4 transmission in deer and other host species, we performed a Bayesian analysis of HEV sequences available in GenBank. A total of 27 HEV sequences from different deer species were found in GenBank. Sequences from wild boars collected in the same territories, as well as sequences from all mammals that were most similar to sequences from deer in blast search, were added to the dataset, comprising 617 in total sequences. Due to the presence of partial genomic sequences, they were divided into four subsets (two ORF1 fragments and two ORF2 fragments) and analyzed separately. European HEV-3 sequences and Asian HEV-4 sequences collected from deer species demonstrated two transmission patterns. The first pattern was spillover infection, and the second pattern was deer-to-deer transmission, indicating stable HEV circulation in these species. However, all geographic HEV clusters that contained both deer and swine sequences originated from ancestral swine strains. HEV-3 and HEV-4 transmission patterns in ungulates reconstructed by means of Bayesian analysis indicate that deer species are a true host for HEV. However, wild and domestic swine are often the primary source of infection for ruminants living in the same areas. Complete HEV genomic sequences from different parts of the world are crucial for further understanding the HEV-3 and HEV-4 circulation patterns in wildlife. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:22:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45b995be7dbc458aa4365d2cb84de3a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:22:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-45b995be7dbc458aa4365d2cb84de3a82023-11-16T22:14:59ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-02-0111237510.3390/microorganisms11020375Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4Anastasia A. Karlsen0Vera S. Kichatova1Karen K. Kyuregyan2Mikhail I. Mikhailov3Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis, Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, 105064 Moscow, RussiaScientific and Educational Resource Center for High-Performance Methods of Genomic Analysis, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 117198 Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Viral Hepatitis, Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, 105064 Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Viral Hepatitis, Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, 105064 Moscow, RussiaHepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 3 and 4 (HEV-3 and HEV-4) cause zoonotic infection in humans, with domestic pigs and wild boars being the main reservoirs of infection. Other than suids, HEV-3 and HEV-4 are found in ruminants, most frequently in deer species. However, it is still debatable, whether HEV infection in deer is a spillover, or indicates a stable virus circulation in these host species. To explore the patterns of HEV-3 and HEV-4 transmission in deer and other host species, we performed a Bayesian analysis of HEV sequences available in GenBank. A total of 27 HEV sequences from different deer species were found in GenBank. Sequences from wild boars collected in the same territories, as well as sequences from all mammals that were most similar to sequences from deer in blast search, were added to the dataset, comprising 617 in total sequences. Due to the presence of partial genomic sequences, they were divided into four subsets (two ORF1 fragments and two ORF2 fragments) and analyzed separately. European HEV-3 sequences and Asian HEV-4 sequences collected from deer species demonstrated two transmission patterns. The first pattern was spillover infection, and the second pattern was deer-to-deer transmission, indicating stable HEV circulation in these species. However, all geographic HEV clusters that contained both deer and swine sequences originated from ancestral swine strains. HEV-3 and HEV-4 transmission patterns in ungulates reconstructed by means of Bayesian analysis indicate that deer species are a true host for HEV. However, wild and domestic swine are often the primary source of infection for ruminants living in the same areas. Complete HEV genomic sequences from different parts of the world are crucial for further understanding the HEV-3 and HEV-4 circulation patterns in wildlife.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/375hepatitis E virus (HEV)zoonosisdeerwild ungulatesphylogenetic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Anastasia A. Karlsen Vera S. Kichatova Karen K. Kyuregyan Mikhail I. Mikhailov Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 Microorganisms hepatitis E virus (HEV) zoonosis deer wild ungulates phylogenetic analysis |
| title | Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 |
| title_full | Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 |
| title_fullStr | Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 |
| title_short | Phylodynamic Analysis Suggests That Deer Species May Be a True Reservoir for Hepatitis E Virus Genotypes 3 and 4 |
| title_sort | phylodynamic analysis suggests that deer species may be a true reservoir for hepatitis e virus genotypes 3 and 4 |
| topic | hepatitis E virus (HEV) zoonosis deer wild ungulates phylogenetic analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/375 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anastasiaakarlsen phylodynamicanalysissuggeststhatdeerspeciesmaybeatruereservoirforhepatitisevirusgenotypes3and4 AT veraskichatova phylodynamicanalysissuggeststhatdeerspeciesmaybeatruereservoirforhepatitisevirusgenotypes3and4 AT karenkkyuregyan phylodynamicanalysissuggeststhatdeerspeciesmaybeatruereservoirforhepatitisevirusgenotypes3and4 AT mikhailimikhailov phylodynamicanalysissuggeststhatdeerspeciesmaybeatruereservoirforhepatitisevirusgenotypes3and4 |