Isolation and Characterization of Hepatitis E Virus Subtype 4b Using a PLC/PRF/5 Cell-Derived Cell Line Resistant to Porcine Sapelovirus Infection

A human hepatocarcinoma cell line, PLC/PRF/5, is susceptible to hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection and is used for isolating this virus. It is difficult to use this cell line for the isolation of HEV directly from fecal specimens of swine or wild boar contaminated with porcine sapelovirus (PSV), because PSV infection results in rapid and extensive cytopathic effects in PLC/PRF/5 cells, interrupting the growth of HEV. Herein, we used a PSV infection-resistant cell line, N1380 derived from PLC/PRF/5 cells, and we successfully isolated an HEV-4b strain from a PSV-positive swine fecal specimen. Our results indicate that N1380 cells are a useful tool for the isolation of HEV from swine or wild boar fecal specimens, even when they are co-infected with PSV.