Publications (3)7.95 Total impact
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Article: Hepatitis E virus isolated from rabbits is genetically heterogeneous but with very similar antigenicity to human HEV.
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ABSTRACT: Rabbit hepatitis E virus (HEV) in China may represent a novel HEV genotype, although no consensus has been reached. It is unclear whether the ORF2 capsid protein containing the immunodominant epitopes from rabbit HEV differs from those of human HEV. In this study, 661 bile samples collected from domestic rabbits in Jiangsu province, eastern China were amplified by RT-nPCR using a set of HEV universal ORF2 primers. All 42 (6.4%) positive PCR products were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis using the ORF2 sequences of 557 bp in length showed the Jiangsu isolates were separate from HEV genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, avian HEV and rat HEV, and clustered together with rabbit HEV sequences. These 42 isolates were divided into five branches including two newly identified in the present study. Comparison with rabbit HEV sequences from China available in GenBank, using a 298 bp ORF2 segment, showed these sequences clustered together into a unique rabbit HEV clade, and were divided into eight sub-branches with high genetic heterogeneity. In addition, 267 serum samples collected from domestic rabbits, serial serum samples from two rhesus monkeys experimentally infected with HEV genotype 1 or 4, and serial serum samples from two New-Zealand rabbits infected experimentally with rabbit HEV were tested simultaneously by EIA using recombinant truncated ORF2 capsid proteins derived from rabbit and human HEV. The virtually identical results obtained suggest that rabbit and human HEV ORF2 antigens contain very similar immunodominant epitopes. All these data are helpful to identify the biological characteristics of the newly identified rabbit HEV. J. Med. Virol. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Journal of Medical Virology 01/2013; · 2.82 Impact Factor -
Article: Seroprevalence of hepatitis e virus varies considerably among chinese provinces.
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ABSTRACT: Hepatitis E is a common infection in China, but few studies have been carried out to compare regional and ethnic factors in its prevalence. To characterize the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgM and IgG in the general population of 11 Chinese provinces and in the people from different ethnic minorities. Sera from 14208 people including 723 people from four ethnic minorities were screened for anti-HEV IgM and IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For the anti-HEV IgM positive samples, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out for the detection of HEV RNA. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV IgG was 19.7%. The highest rate was 35.7% in Guizhou, while the lowest rate was 5.5% in Shanxi. Significantly higher rates were found among males compared to females in Hebei and Hunan province, and among females compared to males in Chongqing and Shannxi. In Guizhou, the prevalence rates among the Buyi, Miao, Shui and Han ethnic groups were 41.8%, 32.0%, 37.5% and 34.7%, respectively, which were not significantly different. The results also showed that the anti-HEV IgG detection rates increased with age for each ethnic group. Additionally, four samples were tested positive for anti-HEV IgM but HEV RNA was not detectable. HEV prevalence varies considerably among Chinese provinces. Thus, prevention and control programs including vaccination could be specifically targeted to people living in regions with relatively higher prevalences.Hepatitis Monthly 06/2012; 12(6):386-90. · 2.19 Impact Factor -
Article: Antigenic characteristics of the complete and truncated capsid protein VP1 of enterovirus 71.
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ABSTRACT: The complete VP1 protein of enterovirus 71 (EV71) and a series of truncations were expressed in Escherichia coli and their antigenic characteristics were studied. Immunoblot analysis showed the major immunoreactive region of the VP1 protein was located in the N-terminal portion at position of amino acid (aa) 1-100. The complete VP1 possessed strong cross-reactivity with antisera against coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) and echovirus 6 (Echo6), while the truncated fragment at position 1-100 aa only had weak cross-reactivity. Moreover, an EV71-specific linear epitope at position 94-105 aa was identified using two EV71-specific mAbs (2B9 and 5B7) with indirect ELISA, but could not be recognized by antibodies against EV71 virus particles. The complete and all of truncated VP1 proteins except His-VP1(202-297) and GST-VP1(202-248) failed to elicit a significant neutralizing antibody response in mice. His-VP1(202-297) and GST-VP1(202-248) containing neutralizing epitope(s) could be recognized only by anti-EV71 mouse sera but not rabbit or human sera. These findings may contribute to a further understanding of antigenic characteristics of the capsid protein VP1 and may be helpful to the development of diagnostic reagents and vaccines.Virus Research 05/2012; 167(2):337-42. · 2.94 Impact Factor
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Institutions
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2012–2013
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Southeast University (China)
Nanjing, Jiangxi Sheng, China
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