1. Orthohepadnavirus infection in a neotropical bat (Platyrrhinus lineatus).
- Author
-
de Souza, Alex Junior Souza, Malheiros, Andreza Pinheiro, Chagas, André Antonio Corrêa das, Paiva, Vera Lisa Generosa da Silva, Lauri, Liura Sanchez, Scheffer, Karin Corrêa, Mori, Enio, Gomes-Gouvêa, Michele Soares, Pinho, João Renato Rebello, and Sá, Lilian Rose Marques de
- Subjects
- *
BATS , *HEPATITIS B virus , *GENETIC variation , *VIRAL genes , *CIRRHOSIS of the liver - Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the prototype of the Orthohepadnavirus genus and represents an important cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatic cancer in humans worldwide. To verify the occurrence and genetic variability of orthohepadnavirus among neotropical bats, we tested 81 liver samples of New World bats from São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil, collected during 2012. PCR, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of Surface/Polymerase and Core viral genes confirmed the occurrence of the first isolate of bat orthohepadnavirus detected in South America. These results may contribute to subsequent studies of the origin, variability, host species, and evolution of bat orthohepadnaviruses in South America. • The first description of orthohepadnavirus infection in a phyllostomid bat in South America. • Phylogenetic analysis indicated a relationship with orthohepadnavirus characterized in Uroderma bilobatum bat from Panama. • This isolate might generate new perspectives on host distribution, geographic spread and evolution of orthohepadnavirus among neotropical bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF