Porcine Blood and Liver as Sporadic Sources of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in the Production Chain of Offal-Derived Foodstuffs in Poland

Pig’s blood and liver are valuable edible slaughter by-products which are also the major ingredients of offal-derived foodstuffs. The aim of the study was an evaluation of the occurrence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and porcine adenovirus (pAdV) as an index virus of faecal contamination in pig’s blood and liver for human consumption. In total, 246 samples of retail liver (n = 100) and pooled pig’s blood (n = 146) were analysed for the presence of HEV and pAdV. Blood samples were individually collected from 1432 pigs at slaughter age. Viral genomic material, including RNA of a sample process control virus was isolated from food samples using a QIAamp® Viral RNA Mini Kit. Virus-specific IAC-controlled real-time PCR methods were used for detection of target viruses. HEV RNA was found in 6 (2.4%; 95% CI: 0.9–5.2) out of 246 samples of tested foodstuffs. The virus was detected in pig’s blood (3.4%; 95% CI: 1.1–7.8) and liver (1.0%; 95% CI: 0.0–5.0) with no significant differences observed in the frequency of its occurrence between the two by-products (t = 1.33; p = 0.182 > 0.05); however PAdV was detected more frequently in pig’s blood than in liver (t = 4.65; p = 0.000 < 0.05). The HEV strains belonged to the 3f and 3e subtype groups and the pAdV strains were assigned to serotype 5. PAdV was detected in pigs regardless of the farm size from which they originated. The number of animals raised on the farm (the farm size) had no influence on the occurrence of HEV or pAdV infections in pigs (F = 0.81, p = 0.447 > 0.05 for HEV; F = 0.42, p = 0.655 > 0.05 for pAdV). Although HEV was detected in pig’s offal only sporadically, consumers cannot treat its occurrence with disregard as it demonstrates that HEV-contaminated pig tissues can enter the food chain.