{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T00:46:48Z","timestamp":1792198008949,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760572800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is foodborne zoonotic pathogen widespread among European swine yet unstudied in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&amp;amp;H). We estimated HEV seroprevalence in domestic pigs in Federation of B&amp;amp;H (FB&amp;amp;H) and assessed farm-level risk factors for exposure.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Cross-sectional survey sampled 437 pigs from 87 farms across seven cantons via two-stage random design. Serum anti-HEV IgG measured by commercial indirect ELISA; managers completed standardized biosecurity\/management questionnaire. Apparent seroprevalence calculated with 95% CIs. Univariable screening (<jats:italic>\u03b1<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.10) informed multivariable logistic regression with farm-level clustering; collinearity checked (Phi), AIC-guided forward selection applied.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Animal-level seroprevalence 77.1% (95% CI 73.0\u201381.0%); herd-level 95.4% (88.9\u201398.7%). Adults showed higher seropositivity than growers (91.0% vs. 71.7%; <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Significant factors: wild-boar proximity (adjusted POR 3.11; <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.04), small farm size (18.35; <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001), swill feeding (5.70; <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.03). Cleaning \u22655\u00d7\/month strongly protective (0.01; <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). All surveyed cantons had positives; no equivocal ELISA results.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Findings indicate widespread HEV in FB&amp;amp;H swine with environmental, food-safety, and occupational implications. Older-animal pattern reflects cumulative exposure; small-farm context and wildlife interface likely sustain transmission, whereas frequent cleaning reduces risk. Strengthened biosecurity, wildlife exclusion, feed oversight (including prohibition\/monitoring of swill feeding), and improved hygiene, should form basis of One Health interventions to mitigate potential zoonotic transmission via the pork production chain.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1667254","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T04:17:44Z","timestamp":1760588264000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["First evidence of hepatitis E virus in domestic pigs: a cross-sectional seroepidemiological study in the Bosnia and Herzegovina"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Abdullah","family":"Mufti\u0107","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"001778","DOI":"10.1099\/jgv.0.001778","article-title":"ICTV virus taxonomy profile: Hepeviridae 2022","volume":"103","author":"Purdy","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Gen Virol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1186\/s13567-017-0436-3","article-title":"From the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus (HEV) within the swine reservoir to public health risk mitigation strategies: a comprehensive review","volume":"48","author":"Salines","year":"2017","journal-title":"Vet Res"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"50","DOI":"10.1186\/s13567-022-01068-3","article-title":"Repeated cross-sectional sampling of pigs at 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