Orthohepadnavirus infection in a neotropical bat (Platyrrhinus lineatus).
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.
['de Souza|Alex Junior Souza|AJS|', 'Malheiros|Andreza Pinheiro|AP|', 'Chagas|André Antonio Corrêa das|AACD|', 'Paiva|Vera Lisa Generosa da Silva|VLGDS|', 'Lauri|Liura Sanchez|LS|', 'Scheffer|Karin Corrêa|KC|', 'Mori|Enio|E|', 'Gomes-Gouvêa|Michele Soares|MS|', 'Pinho|João Renato Rebello|JRR|', 'Sá|Lilian Rose Marques de|LRM|']
Orthohepadnavirus Bats Hepatitis B Virus Brazil Chiroptera