Hepatitis E virus in pork meat products from Belgian supermarkets
What it found
In pork products bought from Belgian supermarkets, 31% tested positive for hepatitis E virus RNA.
The virus was found most often in pork liver pâté.
What they found
Virus found in products
Out of 54 pork products, 17 (31%) tested positive for hepatitis E virus RNA.
Pork liver pâté
65% of the pork liver pâtés tested positive for HEV RNA.
Raw dried hams
15% of the raw dried hams tested positive for HEV RNA.
Raw dried sausages
None of the raw dried sausages tested positive for HEV RNA.
Virus types
Four virus samples from pork liver pâté were all genotype 3c and were similar to human cases from Germany and Belgium.
Exposure estimates
The highest estimated consumer exposure to HEV came from thermal-processed ready-to-eat pork products, such as pork liver pâté. Non-thermal-processed ready-to-eat products, such as raw dried sausages, had a high estimated contamination level.
What the authors conclude
- They say that pork liver pâtés, raw dried hams and raw dried sausages from Belgian supermarkets can contain hepatitis E virus RNA.
- They note that the virus found in pork liver pâté was similar to virus from human cases in Germany and Belgium.
How it was done
Zoonotic hepatitis E virus genotype 3 infections are the main cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe, mostly linked to eating contaminated pork meat.
The researchers bought pork liver pâtés, raw dried hams and raw dried sausages (54 products in total) from 3 Belgian supermarkets and tested them for HEV RNA using RT-PCR. They also estimated how much virus consumers might be exposed to, using a worst-case scenario and Belgian eating habits.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study tested pork products for virus RNA. It did not follow people who ate them, so it cannot show whether eating these products caused any illness.
- The tests show the virus's genetic material was present, not whether the virus was still able to infect someone.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest All authors disclose no commercial associations that might create a conflict of interest in connection with this study.
- Authors work at
- Flemish Research Institute for Agriculture, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Hepatitis E virus in pork meat products and exposure assessment in Belgium
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Locus T, Lambrecht E, Peeters M, et al (2023). Hepatitis E virus in pork meat products and exposure assessment in Belgium. International journal of food microbiology. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110198PubMed 37086528DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error