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Table 1 Overview of the animal experiment

From: Natural and experimental hepatitis E virus genotype 3 - infection in European wild boar is transmissible to domestic pigs

Group no.

Animal

Sex

Age (in months)

Clinical signs and blood chemistry*

Gross lesions

Liver histopathology

Viral antigens in liver by IHC

Grading

Distribution

Group 1. Intravenous inoculation of wild boar

wb93

♀

3

both with reduced feed intake, mild diarrhea, BA, ALT and γGT ↑

in all animals mild hyperplasia of liver lymph nodes and lymphoid tissue in large intestine

both with panlobular hepatocellular swelling, vacuolation and single cell necrosis of hepatocytes

+++

diffuse mainly in Kupffer cells and LSEC

wb95

♀

3

++

 

wb10

♂

6

both with γGT ↑

both with multifocal lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates and hepatocellular degeneration (mainly centrilobular)

+++

mainly centrilobular in Kupffer cells associated with degenerated hepatocytes

wb11

♀

6

+++

Group 2. Intravenous inoculation of miniature pigs

mp30**

♀

3

γGT ↑ (not in mp30)

nematodes in gut and milk spots in liver (mp39)

multifocal lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates and single cell necrosis of hepatocytes (mp37 and mp39)

0

diffuse mainly in Kupffer cells and LSEC

mp37

♀

3

+

mp39

♀

3

++

mp40

♀

3

0

Group 3. Contact infection of wild boar and miniature pigs

wb87

♂

3

reduced feed intake, mild diarrhea, BA, ALT and γGT ↑

mild hyperplasia of liver and intestinal lymph nodes, altered liver consistency and milk spots, moderate splenomegaly

intralobular lymphohistiocytic infiltrates and single cell necrosis of hepatocytes

++

mainly centrilobular in Kupffer cells and LSEC

mp63

♀

3

all with γGT ↑

mild hyperplasia of lymphoid tissue in large intestine, nematodes in gut and renal cyst (mp68)

all with mild lymphohistiocytic infiltrates within liver lobules

0

-

mp68

♂

3

0

mp79

♀

3

0

  1. Tissues were taken on days 29 (Group 2) and 28 (Group 1, Group 3). Grades are formulated on a result of viral antigen density throughout a uniform tissue type. Sections were graded on two separate occasions, without referring to previous recorded results to help standardize the classification. Definition of immunolabelling grades as: 0 = no antigen staining seen, + = mild immunolabelling, ++ = moderate antigen staining, +++ = marked immunolabelling. LSEC = liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. *For details see Figure 1. **Sudden death at 1 dpi (after blood collection). ↑ = elevated biochemical parameter.