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The simultaneous occurrence of human norovirus and hepatitis E virus in a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)

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Abstract

Wild rats can be reservoirs and vectors for several human pathogens. An initial RT-PCR screening of the intestinal contents of Norway rats trapped in the sewer system of Copenhagen, Denmark, for caliciviruses revealed the presence of a human norovirus in one of 11 rodents. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis of the ~4.0-kb 3′-terminus of the norovirus genome resulted in the identification of a recombinant GI.b/GI.6 strain. The simultaneous detection of hepatitis E virus-like particles in the feces of this rat by transmission electron microscopy was confirmed by RT-PCR and sequence determination, resulting in the identification of a novel rat hepatitis E virus.

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Acknowledgments

The authors kindly acknowledge the Copenhagen pest control personnel for rat trapping, and Paul Dremsek, Stephan Drewes, Maxi Zumpe, Franziska Thomas, Kathrin Baumann, Hanan Sheikh Ali and Annemarie Steiner for help in necropsy. Special thanks go to Maria Margarida Vargas (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) for her excellent technical assistance in electron microscopy. We also thank Michael Rother (Dresden University of Technology) for his support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Microbiology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Sandro Wolf & Hanna Kanig

  2. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277, Berlin, Germany

    Jochen Reetz & Reimar Johne

  3. AC Heiberg Rådgivning, 4440, Mørkøv, Denmark

    Ann-Charlotte Heiberg

  4. Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

    Samuel Petri & Rainer G. Ulrich

Authors
  1. Sandro Wolf
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  2. Jochen Reetz
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  3. Reimar Johne
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  4. Ann-Charlotte Heiberg
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  5. Samuel Petri
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  6. Hanna Kanig
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  7. Rainer G. Ulrich
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Correspondence to Sandro Wolf.

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Wolf, S., Reetz, J., Johne, R. et al. The simultaneous occurrence of human norovirus and hepatitis E virus in a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). Arch Virol 158, 1575–1578 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1646-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1646-2

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