Rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) is genetically only distantly related to hepeviruses found in other mammalian reservoirs and in humans. It was initially detected in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Germany, and subsequently in rats from Vietnam, the USA, Indonesia, China, Denmark and France. Here, we report on a molecular survey of Norway rats and Black rats (Rattus rattus) from 12 European countries for ratHEV and human pathogenic hepeviruses. RatHEV-specific real-time and conventional RT-PCR investigations revealed the presence of ratHEV in 63 of 508 (12.4%) rats at the majority of sites in 11 of 12 countries. In contrast, a real-time RT-PCR specific for human pathogenic HEV genotypes 1-4 and a nested broad-spectrum (NBS) RT-PCR with subsequent sequence determination did not detect any infections with these genotypes. Only in a single Norway rat from Belgium a rabbit HEV-like genotype 3 sequence was detected. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a clustering of all other novel Norway and Black rat-derived sequences with ratHEV sequences from Europe, the USA and a Black rat-derived sequence from Indonesia within the proposed ratHEV genotype 1. No difference in infection status was detected related to age, sex, rat species or density of human settlements and zoological gardens. In conclusion, our investigation shows a broad geographical distribution of ratHEV in Norway and Black rats from Europe and its presence in all settlement types investigated.

AC Heiberg Rådgivning Åmosevej 69 Skellingsted 4440 Mørkøv Denmark

Bábolna Bio Ltd Szállás u 6 H 1107 Budapest Hungary

Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game Fish and Bees University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Brno Czech Republic; CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Brno Czech Republic

Diagnostic Laboratory School of Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece

Friedrich Loeffler Institut Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases Südufer 10 17493 Greifswald Insel Riems Germany

Friedrich Loeffler Institut Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases Südufer 10 17493 Greifswald Insel Riems Germany; German Center for Infection Research Partner Site Hamburg Luebeck Borstel Insel Riems Germany

German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment Max Dohrn Str 8 10 10589 Berlin Germany

Institute for Microbiology Technische Universität Dresden Zellescher Weg 20b 01217 Dresden Germany

Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics Veterinary Faculty Freie Universität Berlin Robert von Ostertag Str 7 13 14163 Berlin Germany

Institute of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty of Medicine Zaloška 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

Julius Kühn Institute Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forestry Vertebrate Research 48161 Münster Germany

Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases School of Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece

Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit Fachbereich Schädlingsbekämpfung Task Force Veterinärwesen Röverskamp 5 26203 Wardenburg Germany

Research Institute for Nature and Forest Research Group Wildlife Management Brussels Belgium

Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Am Museum 1 02826 Görlitz Germany

Spanish Wildlife Research Institute IREC Ronda de Toledo 12 13071 Ciudad Real Spain

Stadt Zürich Umwelt und Gesundheitsschutz Zürich Walchestrasse 31 8021 Zürich Switzerland

Università degli Studi di Torino Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie Largo Paolo Braccini 2 Italy

University of Bern Institute of Ecology and Evolution Baltzerstrasse 6 3012 Bern Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Quartier Sorge Batiment Genopode 1015 Lausanne Switzerland

VetagroSup Université Lyon1 CIRI Equipe VIRPATH 1 avenue Bourgelat 69280 Marcy l'étoile France

Working Group for Wildlife Biology Justus Liebig University Giessen Leihgesterner Weg 217 35392 Giessen Germany

References provided by Crossref.org

A broadly cross-reactive monoclonal antibody against hepatitis E virus capsid antigen