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Anpuanandam K, Selvarajah GT, Choy MMK, Ng SW, Kumar K, Ali RM, Rajendran SK, Ho KL, Tan WS. Molecular detection and characterisation of Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus (DCH) from blood and liver tissues of cats in Malaysia. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17:9. [PMID: 33407487 PMCID: PMC7788742 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02700-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A new domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH, family Hepadnaviridae) was first reported from whole blood samples of domestic cats in Australia in 2018, and from cat serum samples in Italy in 2019. The pathogenesis of DCH is unknown, but it was reported in cats with viraemia (6.5-10.8%), chronic hepatitis (43%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (28%). Recent reports suggest that DCH resembles the human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its related hepatopathies. This study aims to detect and characterize DCH among domestic cats in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was performed on 253 cats, of which 87 had paired blood and liver samples, entailing whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of DCH from a liver tissue sample. RESULTS Among the 253 cats included in this study, 12.3% of the whole blood samples tested positive for DCH. The detection rate was significantly higher in pet cats (16.6%, n = 24/145) compared to shelter cats (6.5%, n = 7/108). Liver tissues showed higher a DCH detection rate (14.9%, n = 13/87) compared to blood; 5 out of these 13 cats tested positive for DCH in their paired liver and blood samples. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) was elevated (> 95 units/L) in 12 out of the 23 DCH-positive cats (52.2%, p = 0.012). Whole-genome sequence analysis revealed that the Malaysian DCH strain, with a genome size of 3184 bp, had 98.3% and 97.5% nucleotide identities to the Australian and Italian strains, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the Malaysian DCH genome was clustered closely to the Australian strain, suggesting that they belong to the same geographically-determined genetic pool (Australasia). CONCLUSIONS This study provided insights into a Malaysian DCH strain that was detected from a liver tissue. Interestingly, pet cats or cats with elevated ALT were significantly more likely to be DCH positive. Cats with positive DCH detection from liver tissues may not necessarily have viraemia. The impact of this virus on inducing liver diseases in felines warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khanmani Anpuanandam
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Gayathri Thevi Selvarajah
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia.
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Mandy Mun Kei Choy
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Shing Wei Ng
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kiven Kumar
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Razana Mohd Ali
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sujey Kumar Rajendran
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Kok Lian Ho
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wen Siang Tan
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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Hiller T, Rasche A, Brändel SD, König A, Jeworowski L, Teague O'Mara M, Cottontail V, Page RA, Glebe D, Drexler JF, Tschapka M. Host Biology and Anthropogenic Factors Affect Hepadnavirus Infection in a Neotropical Bat. Ecohealth 2019; 16:82-94. [PMID: 30564998 PMCID: PMC7088011 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-018-1387-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The tent-making bat hepatitis B virus (TBHBV) is a hepadnavirus closely related to human hepatitis B virus. The ecology of TBHBV is unclear. We show that it is widespread and highly diversified in Peters' tent-making bats (Uroderma bilobatum) within Panama, while local prevalence varied significantly between sample sites, ranging from 0 to 14.3%. Females showed significantly higher prevalence than males, and pregnant females were more often acutely infected than non-reproductive ones. The distribution of TBHBV in bats was significantly affected by forest cover, with higher infection rates in areas with lower forest cover. Our data indicate that loss of natural habitat may lead to positive feedback on the biotic factors driving infection possibility. These results underline the necessity of multidisciplinary studies for a better understanding of mechanisms in pathogen-host relationships and for predictions in disease ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hiller
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
| | - Andrea Rasche
- Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stefan Dominik Brändel
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
| | - Alexander König
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- German Reference Center for Hepatitis B and D Viruses, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Lara Jeworowski
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Teague O'Mara
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Veronika Cottontail
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
| | - Dieter Glebe
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- German Reference Center for Hepatitis B and D Viruses, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
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3
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Jo WK, Pfankuche VM, Petersen H, Frei S, Kummrow M, Lorenzen S, Ludlow M, Metzger J, Baumgärtner W, Osterhaus A, van der Vries E. New Avian Hepadnavirus in Palaeognathous Bird, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 23:2089-2091. [PMID: 29148393 PMCID: PMC5708223 DOI: 10.3201/eid2312.161634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2015, we identified an avian hepatitis B virus associated with hepatitis in a group of captive elegant-crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans) in Germany. The full-length genome of this virus shares <76% sequence identity with other avihepadnaviruses. The virus may therefore be considered a new extant avian hepadnavirus.
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Suh A, Weber CC, Kehlmaier C, Braun EL, Green RE, Fritz U, Ray DA, Ellegren H. Early mesozoic coexistence of amniotes and hepadnaviridae. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004559. [PMID: 25501991 PMCID: PMC4263362 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepadnaviridae are double-stranded DNA viruses that infect some species of birds and mammals. This includes humans, where hepatitis B viruses (HBVs) are prevalent pathogens in considerable parts of the global population. Recently, endogenized sequences of HBVs (eHBVs) have been discovered in bird genomes where they constitute direct evidence for the coexistence of these viruses and their hosts from the late Mesozoic until present. Nevertheless, virtually nothing is known about the ancient host range of this virus family in other animals. Here we report the first eHBVs from crocodilian, snake, and turtle genomes, including a turtle eHBV that endogenized >207 million years ago. This genomic “fossil” is >125 million years older than the oldest avian eHBV and provides the first direct evidence that Hepadnaviridae already existed during the Early Mesozoic. This implies that the Mesozoic fossil record of HBV infection spans three of the five major groups of land vertebrates, namely birds, crocodilians, and turtles. We show that the deep phylogenetic relationships of HBVs are largely congruent with the deep phylogeny of their amniote hosts, which suggests an ancient amniote–HBV coexistence and codivergence, at least since the Early Mesozoic. Notably, the organization of overlapping genes as well as the structure of elements involved in viral replication has remained highly conserved among HBVs along that time span, except for the presence of the X gene. We provide multiple lines of evidence that the tumor-promoting X protein of mammalian HBVs lacks a homolog in all other hepadnaviruses and propose a novel scenario for the emergence of X via segmental duplication and overprinting of pre-existing reading frames in the ancestor of mammalian HBVs. Our study reveals an unforeseen host range of prehistoric HBVs and provides novel insights into the genome evolution of hepadnaviruses throughout their long-lasting association with amniote hosts. Viruses are not known to leave physical fossil traces, which makes our understanding of their evolutionary prehistory crucially dependent on the detection of endogenous viruses. Ancient endogenous viruses, also known as paleoviruses, are relics of viral genomes or fragments thereof that once infiltrated their host's germline and then remained as molecular “fossils” within the host genome. The massive genome sequencing of recent years has unearthed vast numbers of paleoviruses from various animal genomes, including the first endogenous hepatitis B viruses (eHBVs) in bird genomes. We screened genomes of land vertebrates (amniotes) for the presence of paleoviruses and identified ancient eHBVs in the recently sequenced genomes of crocodilians, snakes, and turtles. We report an eHBV that is >207 million years old, making it the oldest endogenous virus currently known. Furthermore, our results provide direct evidence that the Hepadnaviridae virus family infected birds, crocodilians and turtles during the Mesozoic Era, and suggest a long-lasting coexistence of these viruses and their amniote hosts at least since the Early Mesozoic. We challenge previous views on the origin of the oncogenic X gene and provide an evolutionary explanation as to why only mammalian hepatitis B infection leads to hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Suh
- Department of Evolutionary Biology (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Claudia C. Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Biology (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Christian Kehlmaier
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Dresden, Germany
| | - Edward L. Braun
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Richard E. Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Uwe Fritz
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Dresden, Germany
| | - David A. Ray
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Hans Ellegren
- Department of Evolutionary Biology (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Yang J, Xi Q, Deng R, Wang J, Hou J, Wang X. Identification of interspecies recombination among hepadnaviruses infecting cross-species hosts. J Med Virol 2007; 79:1741-50. [PMID: 17854046 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.20983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Members of the family Hepadnaviridae are divided into two genera, Orthohepadnavirus (from mammalian) and Avihepadnavirus (from avian). Recombination had been found to occur among human hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains of different genotypes, or between hepadnavirus strains from human and nonhuman primate. To reach a comparatively complete inspection of interspecies recombination events among hepadnavirus strains from various hosts, 837 hepadnavirus complete genome sequences from human and 112 from animals were analyzed by using fragment typing to scan for potential interspecies recombinants. Further bootscanning and phylogenetic analyses of the potential recombinants revealed six genome sequences as interspecies recombinants. Interspecies recombination events were found to occur among HBV strains from human and nonhuman primates, from gibbons of different genera, from chimpanzee and an unknown host, and between two avian hepadnavirus strains from birds of different subfamilies, which was identified for the first time. HBV interspecies recombinants were found to have recombination hot spots similar to that of human HBV intergenotype recombinants, breakpoints frequently locating near gene boundaries. Interspecies recombination found in this study may alter current views on hepadnavirus host specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
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6
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Gerlich WH, Glebe D. Methods for validation of hepatitis B virus inactivation. Dev Biol (Basel) 2004; 118:113-22. [PMID: 15645680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- W H Gerlich
- Institute for Medical Virology, National Consulting Laboratory for hepatitis B, C and Blood-Transmissible Virus Diseases, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
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Merle P, Barraud L, Lefrançois L, Chevallier M, Guerret S, Maisonnas M, Bordes I, Savre-Train I, Trepo C, Vitvitski-Trepo L. Long-term high-dose interferon-alpha therapy delays Hepadnavirus-related hepatocarcinogenesis in X/myc transgenic mice. Oncogene 2003; 22:2762-71. [PMID: 12743599 DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1206375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The role of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) remains unclear in prevention of virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in humans. We have investigated it herewith in the X/myc transgenic mouse model of Hepadnavirus-related hepatocarcinogenesis because of upregulation of c-myc oncogene in the liver. We have demonstrated that IFN-alpha can downregulate dose-dependently hepatocyte proliferation and c-myc overexpression at early premalignant stages, while it does not affect either hepatocyte apoptosis or telomerase activity at these steps. However, continuous and long-term administration of IFN-alpha dose-dependently delays tumor onset in dysplastic livers and increases overall survival of animals, more efficiently whether started before the onset of dysplasia. The present study therefore highlights that early preventive administration of IFN-alpha can slow down evolution towards hepatocellular carcinoma via repression of c-myc and hepatocyte proliferation at premalignant steps in experimental c-myc-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the transient effect observed in this study emphasizes a need to clarify the possible mechanisms of acquired resistance and subsequent therapeutic escape. Our experimental model may be a pertinent tool to explore antioncogenic properties of IFN-alpha in human cirrhotic livers showing c-myc upregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Merle
- INSERM U271, Virus des Hépatites et Pathologies Associées, 151 Cours Albert Thomas, 69424 Lyon Cedex 03, France
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Mulrooney PM, Michalak TI. Quantitative detection of hepadnavirus-infected lymphoid cells by in situ PCR combined with flow cytometry: implications for the study of occult virus persistence. J Virol 2003; 77:970-9. [PMID: 12502813 PMCID: PMC140851 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.77.2.970-979.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The detection of small amounts of viral pathogens in infected cells by classical PCR is hampered by a partial loss of virus nucleic acid due to extraction and by difficulties in discrimination between truly intracellular virus genome material and that possibly adhered to the cell surface. These impediments limit reliable identification of virus traces within infected cells, which are typically encountered in latent and persistent occult infections. In this study, hepadnavirus-specific in situ PCR combined with the enzymatic elimination of extracellular virus and flow cytometry permitted detection of viral genomes in lymphoid cells without nucleic acid isolation and allowed quantification of infected cells during the course of persistent infection with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). The validity of the procedure was confirmed by hybridization analysis of the in situ-amplified viral sequences. The results showed that hepadnavirus can be directly detected within lymphoid cells not only in serologically accountable infection, but also years after recovery from viral hepatitis and in the course of primary occult virus carriage. Percentages of infected peripheral lymphoid cells in symptomatic WHV hepatitis fluctuate between 3.4 and 20.4% (mean +/- standard error of the mean, 9.6% +/- 1.7%), whereas those in persistent, serologically mute WHV infection range from 1.1 to 14.6% (mean +/- standard error of the mean, 4.8% +/- 0.8%) (P = 0.005). The data obtained provide further evidence that WHV infection continues indefinitely in the lymphatic system independently of whether it is symptomatic or concealed. They document that hepadnavirus can be detected in a significant proportion of circulating lymphoid cells in both immunovirologically apparent as well as occult persistent infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia M Mulrooney
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research, Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada A1B 3V6
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Abstract
Two young black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata) died at the San Diego Zoo (San Diego, California, USA) with extensive liver lesions suggestive of acute viral infection. Immunoassays performed to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers were negative. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers overlapping the HBV core gene produced an amplicon of approximately 411 base pairs (bp) from serum DNA of a HBV-positive western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) but not from serum DNA of either lemur. Cesium chloride gradient fractions of liver homogenates from both lemurs contained a peak protein fraction with a density of 1.18 g/cm3. Electron microscopic analysis of fraction contents, concentrated by ultracentrifulgation, revealed numerous pleomorphic, spherical particles varying in diameter from 16-25 nm. In one of the lemurs, this peak fraction also contained a double-shelled virus-like particle 47-50 nm in diameter. The size, morphology, and density of these particles suggest they are members of the Hepadnaviridae, a group of hepatotropic DNA-genome viruses for which HBV is the prototype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Worley
- Virology and Immunology Laboratory, Zoological Society of San Diego, P.O. Box 120551, San Diego, California 92112, USA.
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Fan L, Zhao X, Zhang D, Wang B, Zhang J, Yang D, Hao L. Detection of transfusion transmitted virus in hepatic and extra hepatic tissues using in situ hybridization. Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2000; 8:147-9. [PMID: 10880161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the location, distribution and significance of transfusion transmitted virus (TTV) in the liver and extra hepatic tissues. METHODS A 123 bp fragment of TTV DNA within ORF(2) was amplified by PCR reaction and cloned into PCR2.1 vector. DNA sequencing revealed that the inserted fragment was highly isogenous with Japan ABO11494 strain. The inserted fragment was labeled with digoxigenin. Segment of liver, spleen, kidney, stomach and intestine tissues from 22 patients dead of liver diseases were detected by in situ hybridization with this digoxigenin labeled TTV DNA probe. RESULTS TTV DNA was detected in 8 livers, 4 kidneys, 3 spleens, 2 intestines, and 2 stomachs. The positive cells of TTV DNA in livers were higher than that in other tissues. No obvious pathological topographical relationship of tissue inflammatory reaction with positive cells was found. CONCLUSION TTV can infect hepatic and ex-hepatic tissues and may cause persistent infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Fan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Immunology Research Section, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan, 430030, China
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Chang SF, Netter HJ, Bruns M, Schneider R, Frölich K, Will H. A new avian hepadnavirus infecting snow geese (Anser caerulescens) produces a significant fraction of virions containing single-stranded DNA. Virology 1999; 262:39-54. [PMID: 10489339 DOI: 10.1006/viro.1999.9844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We describe the identification and functional analysis of an evolutionary distinct new avian hepadnavirus. Infection of snow geese (Anser caerulescens) with a duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV)-related virus, designated SGHBV, was demonstrated by detection of envelope proteins in sera with anti-DHBV preS and S antibodies. Comparative sequence analysis of the PCR-amplified SGHBV genomes revealed unique SGHBV sequence features compared with other avian hepadnaviruses. Unlike DHBV, SGHBV shows an open reading frame in an analogous position to orthohepadnavirus X genes. Four of five cloned genomes were competent in replication, gene expression, and virus particle secretion in chicken hepatoma cells. Primary duck hepatocytes were permissive for infection with SGHBV, suggesting a similar or identical host range. SGHBV was found to secrete a significant fraction of virion-like particles containing single-stranded viral DNA. This was observed both in cell culture medium of SGHBV DNA-transfected LMH cells and in viremic sera of several birds, suggesting that it is a stable trait of SGHBV. Taken together, SGHBV has several unique features that expand the knowledge of the functional and evolutionary diversity of hepadnaviruses and offers new experimental opportunities for studies on the life cycle of hepadnaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- S F Chang
- Heinrich-Pette-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie an der Universität Hamburg, Martinistrabetae 52, Hamburg, 20251, Germany
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12
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Xu D, Lang Z, Wang G. [Detection of TTV DNA in liver tissue of patients with non A-G hepatitis]. Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 1999; 7:96-7. [PMID: 10488418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the existence of TTV (transfusion-transmitted virus) in liver tissue of patients with non A-G hepatitis. METHODS 19 cases of paraffin-embedded liver tissues of the patients with non A-G hepatitis were studied by in sity hybridization with Dig-TTV DNA probe. RESULTS Out of 19 cases, TTV DNA were detected in 6 cases, including 4 cases of acute mild hepatitis (30.80%) and 2 cases of chronic hepatitis (33.33%), respectively. Hybridization signals were detected within the nuclei or cytoplasm of the hepatocytes. The positive cells were scattered in the intralobular areas in acute mild hepatitis and more aggregated in periportal areas in chronic hepatitis. Among the 6 positive cases, 5 had a raised ALT. CONCLUSION The result showed that the TTV detected in liver tissue of patients with unknown etiology is a novel virus, which belongs to an hepadnavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Xu
- Anyang Fifth Hospital, Henan Province
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13
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Michalak TI, Pardoe IU, Coffin CS, Churchill ND, Freake DS, Smith P, Trelegan CL. Occult lifelong persistence of infectious hepadnavirus and residual liver inflammation in woodchucks convalescent from acute viral hepatitis. Hepatology 1999; 29:928-38. [PMID: 10051500 DOI: 10.1002/hep.510290329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Traces of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome can persist for years following recovery from hepatitis B. To determine overall duration, molecular characteristics, and pathological implications of this serologically undetectable form of hepadnaviral carriage, we have analyzed the expression of transcriptionally active virus genomes, their infectivity, and examined liver alterations during the natural lifespan of woodchucks convalescent from acute infection with HBV- related woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). In this study, we document lifelong persistence of scanty amounts of replicating virus both in the liver and lymphatic system after spontaneous resolution of an episode of experimental hepadnaviral hepatitis. Antibodies to virus nucleocapsid (core) were found to be the most reliable immunovirological marker coexisting with occult infection. In the majority of convalescent woodchucks, serial liver biopsies showed protracted minimal to mild necroinflammation with periods of normal morphology; however, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ultimately developed in 2 of 9 animals studied. Inocula derived from lymphoid cells of convalescent animals induced classical acute hepatitis in virus-naive woodchucks that progressed to chronic hepatitis and HCC in 1 of the animals, demonstrating infectivity and pathogenic competence of the carried virus. Our results reveal that low levels of infectious WHV and residual hepatic inflammation usually continue for life after resolution of hepatitis and that this recovery does not avert HCC development. They also demonstrate that, in addition to the liver, the lymphatic system is the site of the occult lifelong maintenance of replicating hepadnavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- T I Michalak
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research, Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.
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Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are a major worldwide health problem with chronic infections leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Viruses related to human HBV have been isolated from birds and rodents, but despite efforts to find hepadnaviruses that infect species intermediate in evolution between rodents and humans, none have been described. We recently isolated a hepadnavirus from a woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha) that was suffering from fulminant hepatitis. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the core and surface genes indicated that the virus was distinct from the human HBV family, and because it is basal (ancestral) to the human monophyletic group, it probably represents a progenitor of the human viruses. This virus was designated woolly monkey hepatitis B virus (WMHBV). Analysis of woolly monkey colonies at five zoos indicated that WMHBV infections occurred in most of the animals at the Louisville zoo but not at four other zoos in the United States. The host range of WMHBV was examined by inoculation of one chimpanzee and two black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), the closest nonendangered relative of the woolly monkey. The data suggest that spider monkeys are susceptible to infection with WMHBV and that minimal replication was observed in a chimpanzee. Thus, we have isolated a hepadnavirus with a host intermediate between humans and rodents and establishes a new animal model for evaluation of antiviral therapies for treating HBV chronic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Lanford
- Departments of Virology and Immunology, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, 7620 Northwest Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA.
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15
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Abstract
Replication of the hepadnavirus DNA genome is accomplished via reverse transcription of an intermediate, pregenomic RNA molecule. This process is likely to be carried out by a virally encoded, multifunctional polymerase which possesses DNA- and RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and RNase H activities. However, the nature of the product(s) of the polymerase gene predicted to mediate these functions is unclear. Biochemical studies of the polymerase protein(s) have been limited by its apparent low abundance in virus particles and, until recently, the inability to express active polymerase protein(s) heterologously. We have used activity gel assays to detect DNA- and RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activities associated with highly purified duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) core particles (S. M. Oberhaus and J. E. Newbold, J. Virol. 67:6558-6566, 1993). Now we report that the same approach identifies a 35-kDa RNase H activity in association with highly purified DHBV core particles and crude preparations of virions from DHBV-infected ducks and woodchuck hepatitis virus-infected woodchucks. This is the first report of the detection of an hepadnavirus-associated RNase H activity. Its apparent size is smaller than any of the DNA polymerase activities that we detected previously and significantly smaller than the full-length protein predicted from the polymerase open reading frame (p85 for DHBV). These data suggest that the viral polymerase and RNase H activities are separable and that these enzymes may coordinate their activities in vivo by forming a complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Oberhaus
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7290, USA
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16
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Kew MC, Miller RH, Chen HS, Tennant BC, Purcell RH. Mutant woodchuck hepatitis virus genomes from virions resemble rearranged hepadnaviral integrants in hepatocellular carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1993; 90:10211-5. [PMID: 8234278 PMCID: PMC47744 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.21.10211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Although hepadnaviruses are implicated in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma, the pathogenic mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Clonally propagated integrations of hepadnaviral DNA into cellular DNA can be demonstrated in most virally induced hepatocellular carcinomas. Integration occurs at random sites in cellular DNA, but the highly preferred sites in viral DNA are adjacent to the directly repeated sequence DR1, less often DR2, or in the cohesive overlap region. Integrants invariably contain simple deletions or complex rearrangements that have been thought to occur after integration. We report here the detection of mutant woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) genomes cloned from virions in serum that are strikingly similar to the rearranged hepadnaviral genomes found previously as integrated sequences in cellular DNA. Of 102 cloned genomes studied, 2 had large inverted duplications, 1 a 219-nucleotide direct duplication, and 1 a 219-nucleotide deletion. Virus-virus DNA junctions occurred either adjacent to DR1 or DR2 or in the cohesive overlap region at preferred topoisomerase I cleavage sites. Since these sites are located in the single-stranded regions of the genome, cleavage by topoisomerase I would produce linear molecules that would be expected to be highly recombinogenic since this enzyme, possessing nicking and ligating activities, would remain covalently attached. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation coupled with polymerase chain reaction studies confirmed that the mutant WHV DNA forms resided in virions and did not represent free viral DNA released from infected cells or were unlikely to be an artifact of the cloning process. Thus, the finding in virions of mutant WHV DNA similar to WHV DNA integrated into cellular DNA suggests that the processes of mutation and integration are linked in some instances. Furthermore, the mutant genomes that are preferentially integrated into cellular DNA may have an etiologic role in hepatocarcinogenesis.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology
- Centrifugation, Density Gradient
- Cloning, Molecular
- DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/metabolism
- DNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- DNA, Neoplasm/isolation & purification
- DNA, Viral/blood
- DNA, Viral/genetics
- DNA, Viral/isolation & purification
- Gene Rearrangement
- Genome, Viral
- Hepadnaviridae/genetics
- Hepadnaviridae/isolation & purification
- Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/microbiology
- Marmota/microbiology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Virion/genetics
- Virion/isolation & purification
- Virus Integration
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Kew
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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17
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Abstract
The hepadnavirus family contains a number of related viruses able to infect a variety of animal species. In the present study, we have used the polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide primers to a conserved region of the viral replicase gene of hepadnaviruses to identify viral sequences in de novo tissues in three well-characterized hepadnavirus systems: the woodchuck, ground squirrel and Pekin duck. We did not detect related hepadnavirus sequences in liver specimens from tree squirrels putatively infected with the tree squirrel hepatitis virus, or in liver specimens from horses with hepatitis (serum sickness), or from dogs with chronic active hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H Gumerlock
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616
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18
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Chemin I, Baginski I, Vermot-Desroches C, Hantz O, Jacquet C, Rigal D, Trepo C. Demonstration of woodchuck hepatitis virus infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells by flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction. J Gen Virol 1992; 73 ( Pt 1):123-9. [PMID: 1730932 DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-73-1-123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 10 woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV)-infected woodchucks were examined for the presence of WHV surface (WHs) and core (WHc) antigens (WHsAg and WHcAg) by cytofluorometry using fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-WHs and anti-HBc-purified immunoglobulins from woodchuck and human sera. The presence of viral DNA and RNA was detected in the serum and PBMCs from the same blood samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with two primer sets located in the S and C genes of the WHV genome. Seven animals were found positive for both WHsAg and WHcAg on the surface of PBMCs: four WHV-chronic carriers, two WHsAg-positive animals with acute WHV infection, and one woodchuck which was bled during the incubation phase of WHV infection and which became WHsAg-positive only 1 month later. Sixteen to 71% of the studied leukocyte population expressed WHsAg with a low density of expression whereas 7 to 72% expressed WHcAg with a high density of expression. Only two cases were positive for WHsAg without WHcAg on PBMCs, one WHV chronic carrier and one anti-WHs-positive animal. All woodchucks positive for WHcAg and/or WHsAg by cytofluorometry were positive also for WHV DNA and RNA in PBMCs by PCR. The tenth animal was found negative for both viral antigens as well as for WHV DNA and RNA in PBMCs despite the presence of persistent viral DNA in the serum as detected by PCR. Five healthy woodchucks devoid of WHV serological markers served as negative controls. These results obtained with a novel approach further confirm, in the woodchuck model, that a significant proportion of PBMCs are probably permissive for WHV replication. The possible immunopathogenic implications of the phenomenon are discussed.
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Ponzetto A, Fiume L, Forzani B, Song SY, Busi C, Mattioli A, Spinelli C, Marinelli M, Smedile A, Chiaberge E. Adenine arabinoside monophosphate and acyclovir monophosphate coupled to lactosaminated albumin reduce woodchuck hepatitis virus viremia at doses lower than do the unconjugated drugs. Hepatology 1991; 14:16-24. [PMID: 1712338 DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840140104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The woodchuck was selected to study the efficacy of liver-targeted antiviral drugs on hepadnavirus replication. Nineteen woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus were treated with adenine arabinoside monophosphate or acyclovir monophosphate, either free or conjugated with the liver-targeting molecule lactosaminated human serum albumin. Circulating woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA levels remained unchanged in untreated animals and in those receiving the carrier lactosaminated human serum albumin alone; in contrast, they were consistently lower after 5 days of treatment with the antiviral drugs. Free and conjugated adenine arabinoside monophosphate were active at doses of 10 and 0.75 mg/kg, respectively, and free and coupled ACVMP were active at doses of 20 and 2.6 mg/kg, respectively. These results indicate that the dosages of adenine arabinoside monophosphate and acyclovir monophosphate required to inhibit hepadnavirus growth can be sharply reduced by coupling the drugs to lactosaminated human serum albumin.
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20
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Tennant BC, Mrosovsky N, McLean K, Cote PJ, Korba BE, Engle RE, Gerin JL, Wright J, Michener GR, Uhl E. Hepatocellular carcinoma in Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii): evidence for association with hepatitis B-like virus infection. Hepatology 1991; 13:1215-21. [PMID: 1646762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
During studies of seasonal obesity, a high frequency of hepatic neoplasms was observed in Richardson's ground squirrels. Of 12 Richardson's ground squirrels examined thoroughly, 7 had mild or moderate degrees of chronic portal hepatitis and 6 (50%) had hepatocellular carcinoma. Serological tests for hepadnavirus surface antigen, anti-core antibody and virion DNA that recognize the ground squirrel hepatitis virus of California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) were uniformly negative. Southern blot analyses of EcoRI digests of liver cell DNA demonstrated 3.2 kb fragments that hybridized with a ground squirrel hepatitis virus-specific probe in nontumorous liver tissue from 6 of 10 ground squirrels and in hepatocellular carcinoma specimens from 2 of 5 squirrels indicating infection with a hepadnavirus related to ground squirrel hepatitis virus. Failure, however, to detect serum antibody to ground squirrel hepatitis core antigen suggested probable antigenic differences between the ground squirrel hepatitis virus of California ground squirrels and the putative Richardson's ground squirrel agent. Further studies are required to fully characterize the hepadnavirus of Richardson's ground squirrels and to determine its relationship to hepatocarcinogenesis in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Tennant
- Department of Clinical Sciences, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca 14853
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21
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Korba BE, Brown TL, Wells FV, Baldwin B, Cote PJ, Steinberg H, Tennant BC, Gerin JL. Natural history of experimental woodchuck hepatitis virus infection: molecular virologic features of the pancreas, kidney, ovary, and testis. J Virol 1990; 64:4499-506. [PMID: 2384922 PMCID: PMC247920 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.64.9.4499-4506.1990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The kinetic patterns of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection were monitored in the pancreas, kidneys, ovaries, and testes. Groups of woodchucks experimentally infected with a standardized inoculum of WHV were sacrificed at different times over a 65-week period beginning in the preacute phase of viral infection and continuing to the period of serologic recovery or the establishment of chronic infections and subsequent hepatocellular carcinoma (B. E. Korba, P. J. Cote, F. V. Wells, B. Baldwin, H. Popper, R. H. Purcell, B. C. Tennant, and J. L. Gerin, J. Virol. 63:1360-1370, 1989). Tissues from an additional group of long-term (2 to 3 years) chronic WHV carriers which had been infected with the same WHV inocula were also examined. Viral DNA replication intermediates were found in all four tissues during the acute phase of WHV infection. However, WHV DNA replication intermediates were observed only in the kidneys of a small proportion of the chronically infected animals. Following the acute phase of infection, WHV DNA was present only in the pancreas, kidneys, and ovaries of the chronically infected woodchucks. A progressive evolution of different WHV genomic forms related to the replicative state of WHV was observed in these tissues. Histologic evaluation of these four tissues revealed only minimal, localized lesions which were not correlated with the state of WHV activity. The observations compiled in this study further extend the tissue tropism of WHV.
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Affiliation(s)
- B E Korba
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Rockville, Maryland 20852
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Yoo BC, Park SM, Kim CY, Park HS, Seo JS. A virus similar to human hepatitis B virus in Manchurian chipmunks. Korean J Intern Med 1988; 3:102-9. [PMID: 3154186 PMCID: PMC4534957 DOI: 10.3904/kjim.1988.3.2.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In searching for a new host of the hepadna virus, we found a virus with many of the unique properties of the human hepatitis B virus (HBV) in sera from Manchurian chipmunks inhabiting Korea. Of 192 tested animals, 8 chipmunks were found to have weak HBsAg reactivities and particles similar in size and shape to the particles assoicated with HBV infection. The HBsAg-reactive particles contained DNA of similar size to that of HBV and a DNA polymerase activity which appeared to repair a single-stranded region of the DNA molecule. Histologic examination of liver tissues from chipmunks containing the viral particles in sera showed no evidence of liver disease. Experimental infection of chipmunk by inoculation of HBsAg-reactive chipmunks sera led to frequent occurence of acute and chronic hepatitis without antigenemia of HBsAg.
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