phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:1348 DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-26103-3 A novel genotype of avian hepatitis E virus identified in chickens and common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), extending its host range. In 2019, outbreaks of hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome (HSS) were observed in six commercial layer chicken flocks, belonging to three different Polish farms, and characterized by increased mortality, hemorrhagic hepatitis with attached blood clots on the liver surface, and splenomegaly. Diseased flocks were initially investigated for the presence of avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) - the etiological agent of HSS - by conventional reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, which revealed aHEV sequences clustering separately from all known aHEV genotypes. Additionally, an aHEV genome was identified for the first time in common pheasants, from a flock in France, using Next Generation Sequencing. This genome clustered together with the Polish aHEVs here investigated. Complete genome aHEV sequences from the HSS outbreaks confirmed the divergent cluster, with a shared nucleotide sequence identity of 79.6-83.2% with other aHEVs, which we propose to comprise a novel aHEV genotype - genotype 7. Histology and immunohistochemistry investigations in the liver and spleen established an association between aHEV and the observed lesions in the affected birds, consolidating the knowledge on the pathogenesis of aHEV, which is still largely unknown. Thus, the present investigation extends the natural host range and genotypes of aHEV and strengthens knowledge on the pathogenesis of HSS. eng 2023-02-09T14:01:52.443Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Matos;Miguel; FN:Miguel Matos X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5887-8260 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Bilic;Ivana; FN:Ivana Bilic X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3296-5117 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Tvarogová;Jana; FN:Jana Tvarogová END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Palmieri;Nicola; FN:Nicola Palmieri END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Furmanek;Danuta; FN:Danuta Furmanek END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Gotowiecka;Malwina; FN:Malwina Gotowiecka END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Liebhart;Dieter; FN:Dieter Liebhart X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2412-1248 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Hess;Michael; FN:Michael Hess X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6991-0120 END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 1018033 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:1348 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:1348/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline