Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Rabbits and Rabbit Meat from Slaughterhouses in Hebei Province of China

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen. HEV has been found to be widely prevalent in rabbits. Its isolates are classified into HEV-3, rabbit subgenotype (HEV-3ra). The routes of human infection with HEV-3ra remain unclear; however, foodborne transmission is possible when asymptomatically infected animals enter the food chain. The prevalence of HEV infection in slaughtered rabbits and the presence of HEV in rabbit meat were evaluated in this study.Materials and Methods: In three slaughterhouses in Hebei province, China, samples of rabbit blood were collected during the slaughter process, and muscle, liver, and cavity juice were collected from the rabbit carcasses. Anti-HEV antibody in serum samples was detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HEV RNA was tested in all samples by reverse transcription nested PCR (RT-nested PCR). The final amplicons of RT-nested PCR were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed.Results: Of the 459 serum samples, 50 [10.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.1-13.7] were positive for anti-HEV antibody, and 17 (3.7%, 95% CI: 2.0-5.4) were positive for HEV RNA. HEV RNA was detected in 7 of 60 liver samples (11.7%, 95% CI: 3.3-20) and 2 cavity juice samples from semi-eviscerated carcasses, but was not detected in any muscle sample from either the eviscerated or semi-eviscerated carcasses. All the detected HEV strains belonged to HEV-3ra and related most closely with the rabbit HEV sequence previously reported in China.Conclusion: A portion of rabbits were in the viremia period of HEV infection at the slaughter age, resulting in the possibility of HEV carriage by rabbit carcass, particularly semi-eviscerated carcass containing liver. These findings suggest a potential risk of HEV transmission from raw rabbit products entering the food chain, whereas the presence of HEV appeared to be lower in the eviscerated carcass than in the semi-eviscerated carcass.