%A Eiden,Martin %A Dähnert,Lisa %A Spoerel,Susanne %A Vina-Rodriguez,Ariel %A Schröder,Ronald %A Conraths,Franz J. %A Groschup,Martin H. %D 2020 %J Frontiers in Microbiology %C %F %G English %K Foxes,Infection,Transudates,Orthohepevirus C,Hepatitis E (HEV) %Q %R 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00115 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2020-January-31 %9 Original Research %# %! HEV in foxes %* %< %T Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany, 1993–2012 %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00115 %V 11 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1664-302X %X Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the main course for acute hepatitis in humans throughout the world. Human associated genotypes 1 and 2 as well as zoonotic genotypes 3 and 4 are grouped in the species Orthohepevirus A. In addition, a large variety of HEV-related viruses has been found in vertebrates including carnivores, rats, bats, and chickens, which were classified in species Orthohepevirus B-D. In 2015, partial genome sequences of a novel hepevirus were detected in feces of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). However, no further information about virus circulation and the prevalence in foxes was available. We therefore assayed a unique panel of 880 transudates, which was collected from red foxes over 19 years (1993–2012) in Brandenburg, Germany, for HEV-related viral RNA and antibodies. Our results demonstrate a high antibody prevalence of HEV in red foxes, which oscillated annually between 40 and 100%. Molecular screening of the transudates revealed only a single RNA-positive sample, which was assigned to the carnivore species Orthohepevirus C based on the amplified partial sequence. These data indicate that the virus is circulating widely in the fox population and that foxes are carriers of this virus.