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Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E, is an important public health concern in many developing countries but has also become a concern of the developed nations. HEV has been suggested to be a zoonotic infection where pigs may be an important reservoir for HEV infections in humans. HEV has recently been classified in the genus Hepevirus of the family Hepeviridae. Using a standardized ELISA based on a highly conserved HEV peptides to all genotypes, we have examined collections of sera from Taiwanese pigs for evidence of HEV infection in local pig herds and determination of the seroprevalence rates during 2005 to 2006. Screening of 1,345 sera from 100 herds distributed in whole Taiwan island demonstrates that swine HEV is present in Taiwan, with reactivity observed in 45.7% (137/300) of pigs from 20 herds in Taoyuan County, 79.0% (158/200) of pigs from 20 herds in Miaoli County, 37.0% (111/300) of pigs from 20 herds in Changhua County, 43.8% (92/210) of pigs from herds in Tainan County, and 16.7% (56/335) of pigs from 20 herds in Kin-Men County. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in Taiwanese swine sera was 41.2% (554/1,345). In 92 out of 100 farms (92.0%) were HEV seropositivity.
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Abstract
Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) causes severely economic losses in pig industry because it is highly pathogenic and may cause widespread deaths. Two strategies were conducted for CSF epidemics such as vaccination and stamping out policies. In Taiwan, an efficacious and attenuated LPC vaccine has been used for many decades. However, the interference from maternal antibodies always leads to a difficulty in differentiation between infection and vaccination. Marker vaccine and its companion diagnostic test is a promising strategy for control and further eradication of CSF. We have expressed the Erns protein of classical swine fever virus TD/96 (subgroup 2.1, AY554397) by using baculovirus expression system. The recombinant protein Erns were purified through affinity chromatography and immunized with BALB/cByj mice. Several monoclonal antibodies have been gained. In the future, we will develop the diagnostic kit for differentiation.
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