Pig Liver Sausage as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus Transmission to Humans

The source and route of autochthonous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections are not clearly established in industrialized countries despite evidence that it is a zoonosis in pigs. We investigated the role of figatellu, a traditional pig liver sausage widely eaten in France and commonly consumed raw, as a source of HEV infection.

A case-control study was conducted of 3 patients who presented autochthonous hepatitis E and 15 members of their 3 different families. Anti-HEV immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M antibody testing was performed with commercial assays. HEV RNA was detected in serum samples of patients and in pig liver sausages by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction and sequenced by means of in-house sequencing assays. Genetic links between HEV sequences were analyzed.