Detection and characterization of homologues of human hepatitis vruses and pegiviruses in rodents and bats in Vietnam
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Rodents and bats are now widely recognised as important sources of zoonotic virus infections in other mammals, including humans. Numerous surveys have expanded our knowledge of diverse viruses in a range of rodent and bat species, including their origins, evolution, and range of hosts. In this study of pegivirus and human hepatitis-related viruses, liver and serum samples from Vietnamese rodents and bats were examined by PCR and sequencing. Nucleic acids homologous to human hepatitis B, C, E viruses were detected in liver samples of 2 (1.3%) of 157 bats, 38 (8.1%), and 14 (3%) of 470 rodents, respectively. Hepacivirus-like viruses were frequently detected (42.7%) in the bamboo rat, Rhizomys pruinosus, while pegivirus RNA was only evident in 2 (0.3%) of 638 rodent serum samples. Complete or near-complete genome sequences of HBV, HEV and pegivirus homologues closely resembled those previously reported from rodents and bats. However, complete coding region sequences of the rodent hepacivirus-like viruses substantially diverged from all of the currently classified variants and potentially represent a new species in the Hepacivirus genus. Of the viruses identified, their routes of transmission and potential to establish zoonoses remain to be determined.
Date Issued
2018-02-28
Date Acceptance
2018-02-23
Citation
Viruses, 2018, 10 (3)
ISSN
1999-4915
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Viruses
Volume
10
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
©2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open accessarticle distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Sponsor
Wellcome Trust
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29495551
PII: v10030102
Grant Number
093724/E/10/Z
Subjects
Vietnam
bats
hepatitis viruses
homologues
pegiviruses
rodents
Animals
Chiroptera
Genome, Viral
Hepatitis Viruses
Hepatitis, Viral, Animal
Hepatitis, Viral, Human
Humans
Phylogeny
Public Health Surveillance
RNA, Viral
Rodentia
Vietnam
Zoonoses
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Switzerland
Article Number
ARTN 102