Genetic Heterogeneity of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wild Boars in Italy.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen in Europe, where most autochthonous infections are caused by genotype 3 (HEV-3) and are due to ingestion of raw or undercooked pork meat products. Pigs and wild boars are recognized as the main reservoirs of infection. In this study, we investigated the epidemiology of HEV in wild boars from the Liguria and Piedmont regions (northwestern Italy) by screening, molecularly, a total of 98 liver samples from Liguria (n = 66, collected during the 2023-2024 hunting seasons) and Piedmont (n = 32, collected during 2022-2025) regions. HEV RNA was detected in 11 out of 98 liver samples, with an overall prevalence of 11.2%, a finding consistent with a significant viral circulation within the investigated animal population. Molecular characterization of the partial capsid coding gene was successfully achieved for eight strains revealing genetic heterogeneity and a diverse spatial distribution of the viral strains identified, with subtype 3a detected in Liguria and subtypes 3c and 3f identified in Piedmont.