Italian wild boar study adds to hepatitis E surveillance picture
Bottom line
Hepatitis E virus surveillance in wild boars in northwestern Italy found a genetically diverse mix of HEV-3 strains, reinforcing the species’ role as a reservoir for a zoonotic pathogen that can move through the food chain. The study, published in Animals, examined liver samples from wild boars in Liguria and Piedmont and adds to a growing body of Italian research showing that wild boar populations carry multiple HEV-3 subtypes across regions. That matters because, in Europe, most locally acquired hepatitis E infections are linked to genotype 3 and are associated with raw or undercooked pork products, including liver-containing foods. (efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
Why it matters: For veterinarians, wildlife health teams, and food-animal public health professionals, the key takeaway is that HEV surveillance in wild boars isn’t just a wildlife story. It’s a One Health issue tied to hunter-harvested game, offal handling, meat inspection, and food safety messaging for pet parents and the public. Prior work in northwestern Italy identified HEV RNA in wild boar livers and found subtypes 3c, 3e, and 3f, while later Liguria surveillance reported subtypes 3b and 3m and described an increasing prevalence trend over successive hunting seasons. Together, those findings suggest persistent viral circulation and meaningful subtype diversity in the same broad geographic corridor. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What to watch: Watch for follow-up surveillance linking wild boar strains more directly to domestic swine, human cases, or regional food safety controls in Italy. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Key facts
- Study topic
- Hepatitis E virus surveillance in wild boars
- Study location
- Liguria and Piedmont, northwestern Italy
- Journal
- Animals
- Main finding
- Wild boars carried a genetically diverse mix of HEV-3 strains
- Public health relevance
- Wild boars are a reservoir for a zoonotic pathogen that can move through the food chain
- Human infection link
- In Europe, most locally acquired hepatitis E infections are linked to genotype 3
- Food risk
- Raw or undercooked pork products, including liver-containing foods, are associated with infection
- Earlier regional findings
- Earlier northwestern Italy studies found subtypes 3c, 3e, and 3f; later Liguria surveillance found 3b and 3m
- Trend noted in prior surveillance
- Liguria surveillance reported increasing prevalence across the 2019-2022 hunting seasons
Wild boars in Italy continue to look like an important reservoir for hepatitis E virus, and new work in Animals adds another piece to that picture by highlighting the genetic heterogeneity of HEV in animals from Liguria and Piedmont. The study fits a broader European concern: hepatitis E is an emerging zoonosis in the region, and most autochthonous human infections are associated with HEV genotype 3 circulating in pigs, wild boars, and related food products. (efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
That background matters because Italy has been building this story for years. Earlier work in northwestern Italy found HEV RNA in wild boar livers and identified subtypes 3c, 3e, and 3f, while more recent Liguria-focused surveillance detected subtypes 3b and 3m and reported an increasing prevalence trend across the 2019–2022 hunting seasons. Separate studies from central Italy have also shown notable subtype diversity, including evidence for a potentially novel HEV-3 subtype in wild boars from the Umbria-Marche Apennines. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The new Animals paper, based on liver sampling from wild boars in Liguria and Piedmont, focuses on molecular epidemiology rather than just simple detection. Even without a broad policy announcement attached to it, the study is useful because it adds resolution to where and how HEV-3 is circulating in free-ranging suids in northwestern Italy. That regional detail can help veterinarians, diagnosticians, and public health teams understand whether apparent spillover risk reflects one dominant lineage or multiple co-circulating strains. The answer, increasingly, appears to be the latter. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The wider evidence base supports that interpretation. EFSA has said that consumption of raw or undercooked pork meat and liver is the most common source of hepatitis E infection in the EU, and its scientific opinion describes HEV-3 as the principal zoonotic genotype in Europe, with domestic pigs as the main source and wild boars as an additional reservoir. Italian studies have also detected HEV in hunted wild boar liver and, in some cases, muscle tissue, underscoring that this is relevant not only to wildlife surveillance, but also to game meat handling and processing. (efsa.europa.eu)
Direct expert commentary on this specific paper was limited in the sources available, but the broader research community has been consistent on the public health framing. A recent One Health review focused on European wild boar described the species as a key sylvatic reservoir for HEV, while phylogenetic work has emphasized the value of genomic surveillance for tracing subtype circulation between wild boar and swine populations in Europe. That doesn’t prove direct transmission in every setting, but it strengthens the case for integrated surveillance across wildlife, livestock, food products, and human cases. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is a reminder that HEV surveillance belongs at the intersection of wildlife health, food safety, and zoonotic disease monitoring. Veterinarians working with hunting programs, game meat inspection, diagnostic labs, or regional animal health authorities may need to think beyond prevalence alone and pay closer attention to subtype diversity, geography, and possible links with domestic swine systems. The practical implications include risk communication around safe handling of carcasses and liver, cooking guidance, and better coordination between veterinary and public health surveillance streams. (efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
There’s also a signal here about surveillance design. Studies from Umbria and central Italy have shown that wild boar populations can harbor substantial HEV diversity, sometimes including strains that don’t fit neatly into established subtype frameworks. For veterinary epidemiologists, that means partial sequencing may miss part of the story, and more whole-genome or expanded phylogenetic work could become increasingly important where human cases or food-chain investigations are involved. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What to watch: The next step to watch is whether Italian or EU researchers can connect these wildlife findings more directly to domestic pig strains, food product contamination, or human hepatitis E cases, especially through expanded genomic surveillance and regional One Health monitoring. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
How this developed
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Liguria surveillance began reporting HEV prevalence trends across hunting seasons.
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Liguria surveillance covered the 2019-2022 hunting seasons and found subtypes 3b and 3m.
Common questions
What did the new study find in wild boars?
It found a genetically diverse mix of HEV-3 strains in wild boars from Liguria and Piedmont.Why does this matter for pet parents and the public?
HEV is a zoonotic pathogen, and in Europe most locally acquired infections are linked to genotype 3, which is associated with raw or undercooked pork products, including liver-containing foods.What earlier HEV subtypes were found in northwestern Italy?
Earlier studies found subtypes 3c, 3e, and 3f, and later Liguria surveillance found 3b and 3m.What does the article suggest about surveillance?
It suggests that integrated surveillance across wildlife, livestock, food products, and human cases is important, because multiple HEV-3 strains appear to be circulating.