High Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection Among East Balkan Swine (<i>Sus scrofa</i>) in Bulgaria: Preliminary Results
Ilia Tsachev,
Magdalena Baymakova,
Roman Pepovich,
Nadezhda Palova,
Plamen Marutsov,
Krasimira Gospodinova,
Todor Kundurzhiev,
Massimo Ciccozzi
Affiliations
Ilia Tsachev
Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Magdalena Baymakova
Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Medical Academy, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria
Roman Pepovich
Department of Infectious Pathology, Hygiene, Technology and Control of Foods from Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Forestry, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Nadezhda Palova
Scientific Center of Agriculture, 8300 Sredets, Bulgaria
Plamen Marutsov
Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Krasimira Gospodinova
Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Todor Kundurzhiev
Department of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University, 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
Massimo Ciccozzi
Unit of Medical Statistics and Molecular Epidemiology, Universita Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
The East Balkan swine (Sus scrofa) is the only aboriginal pig breed in Bulgaria, and it is indigenous to the eastern part of the country. The aim of the present study was to investigate East Balkan swine (EBS) in Bulgaria for serological evidence of hepatitis E virus (HEV). Sera from 171 swine from two parts of the country (northeastern and southeastern) were tested for anti-HEV IgG antibodies. The overall HEV seroprevalence was 82.5% (141/171), and for weaners it was 77.2% (44/57), for fattening pigs 79.0% (45/57), and for adults 91.2% (52/57). HEV positivity was higher in fattening pigs and adults compared to weaners: OR = 1.108 (95% CI: 0.456–2.692) and OR = 3.073 (95% CI: 1.016–9.294), respectively. This study provides the first evidence of exposure to HEV in EBS from Bulgaria.
