Emerging Infectious Diseases (Sep 2010)

Novel Hepatitis E Virus Genotype in Norway Rats, Germany

  • Reimar Johne,
  • Gerald Heckel,
  • Anita Plenge-Bönig,
  • Eveline Kindler,
  • Christina Maresch,
  • Jochen Reetz,
  • Anika Schielke,
  • Rainer G. Ulrich

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1609.100444
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 9
pp. 1452 – 1455

Abstract

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Human hepatitis E virus infections may be caused by zoonotic transmission of virus genotypes 3 and 4. To determine whether rodents are a reservoir, we analyzed the complete nucleotide sequence of a hepatitis E–like virus from 2 Norway rats in Germany. The sequence suggests a separate genotype for this hepatotropic virus.

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