Serological Survey Of Hepatitis E Virus Infection Among House Pet Dogs In Shanghai Region

To determine the prevalence of hepatitis E virus HEV in house pet dog in Shanghai, China. 70 pet dog serum samples were collected from Shanghai area, China. Detection of anti-HEV IgG antibody was conducted by using commercial ELISA. The HEV RNA was tested by using RT-PCR method. Our results showed that 15 of 70 (21.4%) pet dog serum samples were positive for anti-HEV IgG antibody. Among different species of pet dogs, the Doberman Pinscher showed the highest positive rate for anti-HEV antibody. The prevalence rate for species of gangmao, Schnauzer, and langquan were 14.3%, 25%, 20%, and 11.1%, respectively. The positive rate for male and female pet dog were 34.8% and 8.51%, respectively. The differences between male and female were very notable. However, we failed to detect HEV RNA in this serum samples. This suggested these antibody positive pet dogs were previously infected by HEV-liked virus.