Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been recognised as an important cause of acute viral hepatitis of zoonotic importance globally. This study evaluated the haematological, serum biochemical and histopathological changes in HEV seropositive pigs. A total of 120 pigs were sourced from the Bodija Municipal abattoir, Ibadan, Nigeria, for this study. The haematology and serum biochemistry of the sampled pigs seropositive to HEV antibodies using the ID Screen® Hepatitis E Indirect Multi-species ELISA biwell kit were analysed. Liver and spleen samples were also taken for histopathological examination and lesion scoring. HEV seropositivity was reported in 57.5% (69/120) of the pigs and associated with a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in erythrocyte parameters with a tendency to a non-regenerative anaemia. A significant moderate thrombocytopenia (1.81 ± 0.82 × 105/μL) was also observed in the HEV seropositive group. There was a significant elevation in the level of serum hepatocellular leakage enzymes (aspartate transaminase and sorbitol dehydrogenase), albumin and total bilirubin level in the seropositive group. A semiquantitative analysis of the lesion score also revealed a significantly higher frequency and severity of hepatic lesions (including hepatocellular vacuolation, necrosis, lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, Kupffer cell hyperplasia and fibrosis) in the seropositive group. This study underscores the need for further HEV studies in Nigeria as an important tentative aetiology in porcine hepatitis.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to appreciate the butchers, abattoir personnel and farmers for their cooperation during the sample collection phase of the study. We would like to thank the technicians of the Clinical and the Diagnostic Pathology Unit of the Department of Veterinary Pathology for their support during the sample collection and processing phase of the study.
Funding
This study was conducted as part of the research for the Master’s in Veterinary Pathology (Clinical) degree programme by Adewole Adekola for which he received the University of Ibadan Postgraduate Research Support Grant through the Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonosis (CCPZ) approved at the rates on the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Grant (Grant No. 97944).
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Study concept and design: AAA, REA, BOE; data collection and field work: AAA, AJJ; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: AAA, OGO; slide reading and scoring: AAA, AJJ; statistical analysis: AAA; manuscript draft: AAA, AJJ; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: REA, BOE; OGO; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Adekola, A.A., Antia, R.E., Jubril, A.J. et al. Haematological, serum biochemical and histopathological changes in hepatitis E virus seropositive pigs in Ibadan, Nigeria. Comp Clin Pathol 28, 1537–1546 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-019-02956-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-019-02956-5