Hepatitis E virus in pigs at the moment of slaughter in Spain, 2015 and 2017
Investigation article published in Food microbiology
November 12nd, 2025
We investigated the presence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs at the moment of slaughter in Spain in years 2015 and 2017. A total of 1786 caecal content, liver, and serum samples from animals at slaughterhouses were tested by reverse transcription real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and anti-HEV antibodies were evaluated in 623 serum samples by an ELISA test. The overall seroprevalence obtained was 70.9 %. A total of 398 RT-qPCR positive samples were identified in caecal content (26.8 %; 156/583), serum (21.8 %; 136/623) and liver (18.3 %; 106/580). A total of 32 RT-qPCR positive samples were genotyped; 3f (84.4 %) and the 3c (9.4 %) being the most prevalent subgenotypes. This is the first report on detection of HEV in pigs at the moment of slaughter with a Spain nation-wide representation. The data show a large high seroprevalence (70.9 %) in pigs, while the presence of the virus (HEV RNA) was significantly lower. HEV RNA detection varied markedly between matrices, with caecal samples showing higher positivity (30-50 %) than serum (5-25 %); both simple and interaction GEE models confirmed strong effects of sample type and its interaction with year on prevalence estimates. However, the percentage of positive liver samples (18.3 %) and the concurrence between the HEV 3 subtypes identified (3f, 3m and 3c) and those identified in human patients in Spain, underscores the possibility of foodborne zoonosis. It can represent a real risk for consumers if pork products are not cooked adequately. A holistic One-Health approach, including a better understanding of HEV prevalence in the swine population, would allow implementation of control measures in the meat chain to mitigate the main transmission routes for humans
Garcia N., Hernandez M., Santamaria-Palacios J., Martinez I., Navarro A., Munoz-Chimeno M., Escobar F., Fongaro G., Yeramian N., Trzakowska M., Avellon A., Eiros JM., Dominguez L., Valero A., Goyache J. and Rodriguez-Lazaro D.
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Servicio de Zoonosis Emergentes, de Baja Prevalencia y Agresivos Biológicos (NED). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Valladolid (UVa). |
 | Sección de Microbiología. Centro de patógenos emergentes y salud global. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de Burgos (UBU). |
 | Centro Nacional de Microbiología (CNM). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). |
 | National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC). |
| Federal University of Santa Catarina. | |
| Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Warsaw. | |
| Hospital Río Hortega. | |
 | Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO). |
