Page 108 - Ebook-Book JCMS 2025

Hepatitis E Virus and Orthopoxvirus Are Potentially Derived
from Anthropogenic Rodents Inhabit in Thailand
Thachawech Kimprasit1*, Sirapan Sukonthasing2, Rattikan Suwannasing3, Kessara Ampaporn3
1 Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
2 Department of Veterinary Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Technology, Kasetsart University
3 Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, Rajamangala University of Technology
Isan, Sakon Nakhon Campus
*Corresponding Author E-mail: thachawech.kim@mahidol.ac.th
Abstract
The existence of the zoonotic virus that rodents may carry is a topic of numerous discussions. This study was conducted
to investigate the prevalence of rodents with antibodies linked to rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) and orthopoxvirus (OPXV)
infection in both indoor and outdoor settings in order to shed light on this phenomena. Snap traps were used to catch
600 rodents from various areas of northeastern Thailand, and the rodents were euthanized for collecting their serum.
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate the animal serum for the presence of OPXV and
rat HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG). According to the findings, 261 rodent samples (43.5%) exhibited rat HEV IgG, with
a cut-off value greater than 0.5. However, OPXV IgG was detected in 31 samples (5.17%) of the analyzed sera, with a
cut-off value greater than zero. In any case, additional investigations should be done to clarify the zoonotic potential
through molecular detection and sequencing of the viral nucleotides. Our current study, however, raises the possibility
that anthropogenic rodents could serve as potential reservoirs for HEV and OPXV.
106 Joint Conference in Medical Sciences 2025