Rat Hepatitis E Virus (Rocahepevirus ratti): A Systematic Review of Its Presence in Water, Food-Related Matrices, and Potential Risks to Human Health
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
HEV | Hepatitis E Virus |
rat HEV | Rat Hepatitis E Virus |
RT-qPCR | Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction |
RT-PCR | Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction |
ORF | Open Reading Frame |
ND | Not Determined |
NA | Not Available |
PRISMA | Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
RNA | Ribonucleic Acid |
References
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Sampling Country (City) | Sampling Date | Sample Type | Rat HEV Detection Assay | Rat HEV Target Region | Number of Rat HEV RNA Positive/Total (%) | Rat HEV Genotype | HEV Detection Assay | HEV Target Region | Number of HEV RNA Positive/Total (%) | HEV Genotype/Subtype | Main Findings | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sweden (Gothenburg) | 2016–2017 | Influent and Effluent wastewater | RT-qPCR | ORF1 | Influent wastewater (NA), Effluent wastewater 2/11 (18.18%) | ND | RT-qPCR | NA | Influent wastewater (NA), Effluent wastewaters 5/11 (63.64%) | 3c, 3f, 3i | HEV and rat HEV were both detected in effluent wastewaters. Peaks in virus concentration in wastewater preceded clinical cases by 2–4 weeks. Despite wastewater treatment significantly reducing viral loads, HEV was not completely eliminated and substantial amounts of both human and rat HEV strains were discharged into the environment via effluent. | [11] |
Italy (Abruzzo) | 2019–2022 | Influent Wastewater | pan-hepevirus heminested RT-PCR | ORF1 | 68/155 (43.9%) | C1 | pan-hepevirus heminested RT-PCR | ORF1 | 7/155 (4.52%) | 3 | Rat HEV was a significant component of the wastewater microbiota | [12] |
Sweden (Gothenburg) | 2023 | Influent wastewater, Surface water | RT-qPCR | ORF1 | Influent wastewater 50/51 (98%), Surface (lake) Water 0/16 (0%) | C1 | RT-qPCR | NA | Influent wastewater 41/51 (86%), Surface (lake) Water 0/16 (0%) | 3b, 3c, 3i | High prevalence of HEV and rat HEV, with dominant HEV-3c/i subtypes. Previously unreported HEV3b and unclassified HEV strains detected in wastewater. Distinct rat HEV clades found in wastewater that had not been previously seen in humans | [13] |
France (Nancy) | 2023 | Influent wastewater, Slaughterhouse wastewater, Surface water | RT-qPCR | ORF1 | Influent wastewater 11/11 (100%), Slaughterhouse wastewater 0/14 (0%), Surface (river) water 4/4 (100%) | ND | RT-qPCR | NA | Influent wastewater 10/11 (91%), Slaughterhouse wastewater 14/14 (100%), Surface (river) water 4/4 (4%) | 3c, 3m | High concentrations of Rocahepevirus (up to 40-fold higher than that of Paslahepevirus) were detected in urban wastewater and rivers, suggesting potential for human transmission, though no cases were found in local hepatitis patients, highlighting the need for improved detection methods | [14] |
Spain (Cordoba) | 2021–2023 | Influent wastewater | RT-qPCR | ORF1 | 100/106 (94.3%) | C1 | RT-qPCR | ORF3 | 1/106 (0.9%) | 3f | First study in Spain to assess rat HEV in wastewater alongside clinical data, found no direct correlation with clinical cases | [15] |
Brazil (São Luís) | 2023–2024 | Bivalves (mussels and oysters) | pan-hepevirus heminested RT-PCR | ORF1 | 2/89 (2.2%) | C1 | RT-qPCR | Overlapping region of ORF-2/ORF-3 | 0/89 (0%) | ND | First report of rat HEV in bivalve mollusks; may prompt further research on its variability, distribution, host range, and potential transmission via contaminated shellfish | [16] |
Sweden (Gothenburg) | 2016–2018 | Influent wastewater | nested RT-PCR | ORF1 | 9/37 (24.32%) | ND | RT-qPCR | ORF3 | 37/37 (100%) | 3c | The study found distinct HEV-3 subtype distributions in Sweden, with subtype 3c dominant in water and humans, and 3f in pigs and wild boars, indicating multiple transmission routes | [17] |
Portugal and Spain (Porto and Santiago de Compostela) | 2020–2022 | Influent wastewater | RT-qPCR | ORF1 | 39/44 (88.64%) | C1 | RT-qPCR | ORF3 | 3/44 (6.82%) | ND | HEV was nearly absent in influent wastewater and swine fecal samples, while high rat HEV levels in the influent wastewater suggest potential urban transmission risks and highlight the need for better zoonotic virus surveillance | [18] |
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Santos-Silva, S.; Gonçalves, H.M.R.; Van der Poel, W.H.M.; Nascimento, M.S.J.; Mesquita, J.R. Rat Hepatitis E Virus (Rocahepevirus ratti): A Systematic Review of Its Presence in Water, Food-Related Matrices, and Potential Risks to Human Health. Foods 2025, 14, 2533. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142533
Santos-Silva S, Gonçalves HMR, Van der Poel WHM, Nascimento MSJ, Mesquita JR. Rat Hepatitis E Virus (Rocahepevirus ratti): A Systematic Review of Its Presence in Water, Food-Related Matrices, and Potential Risks to Human Health. Foods. 2025; 14(14):2533. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142533
Chicago/Turabian StyleSantos-Silva, Sérgio, Helena M. R. Gonçalves, Wim H. M. Van der Poel, Maria S. J. Nascimento, and João R. Mesquita. 2025. "Rat Hepatitis E Virus (Rocahepevirus ratti): A Systematic Review of Its Presence in Water, Food-Related Matrices, and Potential Risks to Human Health" Foods 14, no. 14: 2533. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142533
APA StyleSantos-Silva, S., Gonçalves, H. M. R., Van der Poel, W. H. M., Nascimento, M. S. J., & Mesquita, J. R. (2025). Rat Hepatitis E Virus (Rocahepevirus ratti): A Systematic Review of Its Presence in Water, Food-Related Matrices, and Potential Risks to Human Health. Foods, 14(14), 2533. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142533