ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
This article is part of the Research TopicUncovering the Connections Between Pathogens and Hosts: Exploring the Impacts of Microorganisms and Developing Novel Diagnostic ToolsView all articles
Meta-analysis of global prevalence of Hepatitis E virus infection in deer
Provisionally accepted
Zhen-Qiu Gao1Guang-Rong Bao2Hai-Tao Wang2Yong-Jie Wei2Miao Zhang2Wen-Xu Tan3Hong-Lang Liu3
Quan Zhao3
Qing-long Gong3
Jing Jiang4*Ya Qin5*- 1Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
- 2Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- 3Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- 4Changchun Sci-Tech University, Shuangyang, China
- 5Lvliang Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, Lvliang, China
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Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important zoonotic pathogen, and deer serve as a potential reservoir that may contribute to human infections through wildlife-livestock-human transmission pathways. To evaluate the global prevalence of HEV in deer, we systematically reviewed 134 publications across five major databases, and 33 studies met the criteria for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence varied substantially across regions and populations. Deer in North America showed the highest infection level (29.57%, 95% CI: 0.00-89.25), with Mexico reporting the greatest prevalence (62.68%, 95% CI: 54.54-70.47). Developing countries exhibited a higher HEV positivity rate (21.45%, 95% CI: 7.12-40.63) than developed countries (5.01%, 95% CI: 2.40-8.43). Temporally, the prevalence after 2010 (4.92%, 95% CI: 1.57-9.83) was significantly lower than before 2010 (13.17%, 95% CI: 6.01-22.45). Age and sex were associated with infection risk: adults had a higher prevalence (23.02%, 95% CI: 9.04-41.06) than juveniles (10.11%, 95% CI: 5.83-15.41), and females slightly exceeded males (6.25% vs. 5.07%). Serological assays such as ELISA detected anti-HEV antibodies with a pooled seroprevalence of 10.48% (95% CI: 4.29-18.92), indicating prior exposure. Molecular methods (RT-PCR and RT-qPCR) identified HEV RNA with pooled rates of 8.58% and 5.22%, respectively, reflecting active infection. These findings highlight the need for standardized diagnostic approaches to ensure reliable surveillance of HEV in deer and to support public health strategies aimed at reducing zoonotic transmission risk.
Keywords: Deer, HEV, Meta-analysis, Prevalence, Risk factors
Received: 07 Nov 2025; Accepted: 03 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Bao, Wang, Wei, Zhang, Tan, Liu, Zhao, Gong, Jiang and Qin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jing Jiang
Ya Qin
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