Estimating the burden and modeling mitigation strategies of pork-related hepatitis E virus foodborne transmission in representative European countries
Yunpeng Ji,
Pengfei Li,
Yueqi Jia,
Xiaohua Wang,
Qinyue Zheng,
Maikel P. Peppelenbosch,
Zhongren Ma,
Qiuwei Pan
Affiliations
Yunpeng Ji
Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Genetics, Inner Mongolian Maternal and Child Care Hospital, Inner Mongolian, China
Pengfei Li
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Yueqi Jia
Department of Genetics, Inner Mongolian Maternal and Child Care Hospital, Inner Mongolian, China
Xiaohua Wang
Department of Genetics, Inner Mongolian Maternal and Child Care Hospital, Inner Mongolian, China
Qinyue Zheng
School of Management, Shandong Key Laboratory of Social Supernetwork Computation and Decision Simulation, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Maikel P. Peppelenbosch
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Zhongren Ma
Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; Corresponding authors at: Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, No. 1, Xibei Xincun, Lanzhou 730030, China.
Qiuwei Pan
Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Corresponding authors at: Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, No. 1, Xibei Xincun, Lanzhou 730030, China.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen posing global health burden, and the concerns in Europe are tremendously growing. Pigs serve as a main reservoir, contributing to pork-related foodborne transmission. In this study, we aim to specifically simulate this foodborne transmission route and to assess potential interventions. We firstly established a dose-response relationship between the risk of transmission to human and the amount of ingested viruses. We further estimated the incidence of HEV infection specifically attributed to pork-related foodborne transmission in four representative European countries. Finally, we demonstrated a proof-of-concept of mitigating HEV transmission by implementing vaccination in human and pig populations. Our modeling approach bears essential implications for better understanding the transmission of pork-related foodborne HEV and for developing mitigation strategies.
