Hepat Mon. 2011;11(9):745-749. DOI: 10.5812/kowsar.1735143X.730 KOWSAR Journal home page: www.HepatMon.com Seroepidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Hepatitis E Virus in Macaca Mulatta from a Village in Yunnan, China, where Infection with this Virus Is Endemic 1 2 3 1 1 Fen Huang , Wenhai Yu , Xiuguo Hua , Shenrong Jing , Weikun Zeng , Zhanlong He 2 * 1 Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China 2 Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, China 3 Zoonosis Laboratory, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China A R T I C L E I N F O Article Type: Original Article Article history: Received: 14 Apr 2011 Revised: 05 Jul 2011 Accepted: 18 Jul 2011 Keywords: Hepatitis E virus Macaca mulatta Swine Seroepidemiologic Molecular characterization A B S T R A C T Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a signiﬁcant public health concern and has been identiﬁed as a zoonotic infection. Objectives: Since no reports have characterized the epidemiological and genotypic features of HEV infections in Macaca mulatta (rhesus macaques) from Yunnan, China, where swine HEV infections are endemic, we aimed to investigate these characteris- tics. Materials and Methods: Seroepidemiological and molecular characterization of HEV in both Macaca mulatta and pigs from the Yunnan province of China were conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-nested PCR (RT-nPCR). Four hundred and eighty-two stool samples (320 from Macaca mulatta and 162 from pigs) and 92 serum samples (all from Macaca mulatta) were collected for the detection of HEV RNA and anti-HEV antibodies (IgG/IgM). Results: Thirty-three rhesus macaques (35.87%) were positive for HEV IgG. Of these, 3 were also positive for HEV IgM. Four diﬀerent strains of swine HEV RNA were detected in pigs; however, we failed to detect any in Macaca mulatta. Conclusions: Results indicate that Macaca mulatta may not be a natural reservoir of HEV. c 2011 Kowsar M.P.Co. All rights reserved. Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: Macaca mulatta are often used as HEV model to evaluate HEV vaccine, pathogenesis and xenotransplantation. This study was de- signed to investigate if Macaca mulatta can be natural host of the virus in area where HEV infection is endemic. Please cite this paper as: Huang F, Yu W, Hua X, Jing S, Zeng W, He Z. Seroepidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Hepatitis E Virus in Macaca Mulatta from a Village in Yunnan, China, where Infection with this Virus Is Endemic. Hepat Mon. 2011;11(9):745-9. DOI: 10.5812/ kowsar.1735143X.730 1. Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a signiﬁcant global public health concern and is associated with particularly * Corresponding author at: Zhanlong He, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 935 Jiaoling Road, Kunming, China. Tel:+86-8718403316,Fax:+86-8718403245. E-mail: hzl@imbcams.com DOI: 10.5812/kowsar.1735143X.730 Copyright c 2011, BRCGL, Published by Kowsar M.P.Co. All rights reserved. high mortality rates in pregnant women (1). HEV is trans- mitted primarily by the fecal-oral route or through con- taminated water (2, 3). It can also be transmitted across species between humans, pigs, boars, deer, chickens, and rabbits (3-5). HEV antibodies have been found in pigs, rats, cats, and cattle (6-9), with pigs identiﬁed as the most important reservoirs. Evidence has shown that veterinar- ians working with pigs were at increased risk of acquir- ing HEV infection (10). In 2010, swine HEV was isolated from a village in the rural city of Kunming, where nonhu-