Why the study?
Although recombination is critical for virus evolution, assessment of its occurrence among swine hepatitis E virus strains has been limited.
Genomic analysis of swine hepatitis E virus in China reveals the dominance of genotype 4 and identifies novel recombination events that may pose a public health threat.
sHEV genotype 4 dominance with recombination in China may signal zoonotic risk; hypothesis-generating for human surveillance studies.
Zoonotic hepatitis E, mainly caused by swine hepatitis E virus (sHEV), is endemic in China, causing great economic disruption and public health threats. Although recombination is critical for the evolution of viruses, there is a limited assessment of its occurrence among sHEVs. Herein, we analysed all available sHEV full-length genomes isolated in China during the past two decades (40 isolates) compared to 72 other sHEV strains isolated in different countries and determined that sHEV genotype 4 (sHEV4) dominates China. Eight potential natural recombination events were identified, four of which occurred in China and were mainly between sHEV4 strains, indicating the distinct character of China sHEV. One intergenotype recombination event was found in China, alarming the emergence of a new sHEV lineage that could become a critical threat to human health.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Bahoussi et al. (2022) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: