Ann Pharmacol Pharm | Volume 2, Issue 3 | Mini Review | Open Access

Pharmaceutical Products Derived from Swine: Is There any Potential Risk of Hepatitis E Virus Transmission?

JR Mesquita1,2*, RMS Oliveira3 and MSJ Nascimento3

1Agrarian Superior School (ESAV), Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal
2Centre for Studies in Education, Technologies and Health (CI&DETS), Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal
3Department of Biological Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

*Correspondance to: JR Mesquita 

Fulltext PDF

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has become a growing Public Health concern in the last decade in industrialized countries after the discovery of autochthonous cases of hepatitis. Infections are usually acquired from zoonotic transmission from pigs but other routes of transmission in industrialized countries have been described and others yet have been suspected. Iatrogenic transmission such as transfusion of HEV–contaminated blood products and transplantation of HEV-infected organs are today well documented and heparin, a porcine derived pharmaceutical isolated from porcine intestinal mucosa, has been suspected as the source of infection. We tested different commercial porcine-derived pharmaceutical products for the presence of HEV, including low molecular weight heparins, anti-rotavirus vaccines and the poractant alfa. Our preliminary results show no HEV RNA in these pharmaceutical products however given the potential risk of HEV contamination of porcine-derived pharmaceutical products further investigation is warranted to exclude these products as potential sources of HEV transmission.

Keywords:

Hepatitis E virus; Porcine derived pharmaceutical products; Contamination

Citation:

Mesquita JR, Oliveira RMS, Nascimento MSJ. Pharmaceutical Products Derived from Swine: Is There any Potential Risk of Hepatitis E Virus Transmission? Ann Pharmacol Pharm. 2017; 2(3): 1036.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter