Table 2. Rat HEV in serial fecal samples of experimentally infected laboratory rats, Los Angeles, California. USA*.
| Animal | Day postinfection |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 35 | |
| Rat B76 | |||||||||||||||
| Infectious† | NT | NT | NT | – | + | – | + | – | – | – | – | – | – | NT | NT |
| RT-PCR | NT | NT | NT | + | + | + | + | + | + | – | – | – | – | NT | NT |
| Serum antibody against HEV | NT | NT | NT | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | + | + | + | + |
| Rat B84 | |||||||||||||||
| Infectious† | + | – | + | + | + | – | – | – | – | – | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| RT-PCR | + | + | + | + | + | – | – | – | – | – | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| Serum antibody against HEV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + |
*HEV, hepatitis E virus; NT, not tested; –, negative; +, positive; RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR. †As measured by transmission to another rat.