Absence of hepatitis E virus in hedgehogs in northern Italy in 2022–2024
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes viral hepatitis, posing a risk to vulnerable populations. Although swine are established reservoirs, the involvement of other animal species remains undefined. This study investigated 301 livers from naturally deceased European hedgehogs collected from wildlife centres (northern Italy), to determine their role in HEV transmission, spread and epidemiology, considering their proximity to urban areas. No positive samples were found by Real-time PCR, suggesting that hedgehogs play a marginal role in HEV epidemiology. Further studies are required to investigate other potential wild reservoirs to gain insight into HEV transmission dynamics, given the global impact of HEV-related diseases.
Authors
- Tiziana Trogu
- Francesco Righi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3294-9491)
- Annalisa Scarazzato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8289-5677)
- Sara Arnaboldi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1666-7518)
- Barbara Bertasi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1875-4305)
- Davide Lelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5775-6058)
- Roberto Benevenia
- Antonio Lavazza
- Marina Nadia Losio
Institutions
- University of Parma (IT)
- University of Trieste (IT)
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna "Bruno Ubertini" (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Virology Journal
- Published
- 2026-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-026-03071-y
- Primary Topic
- Hepatitis Viruses Studies and Epidemiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00