Assessment of cross-species transmission of hepatitis C virus-related non-primate hepacivirus in a population of humans at high risk of exposure

The recent discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related viruses in different animal species has raised new speculations regarding the origin of HCV and the possibility of a zoonotic source responsible for the endemic HCV transmission. As a consequence, these new findings prompt questions regarding t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general virology 2015-09, Vol.96 (9), p.2636-2642
Main Authors: Pfaender, Stephanie, Walter, Stephanie, Todt, Daniel, Behrendt, Patrick, Doerrbecker, Juliane, Wölk, Benno, Engelmann, Michael, Gravemann, Ute, Seltsam, Axel, Steinmann, Joerg, Burbelo, Peter D, Klawonn, Frank, Feige, Karsten, Pietschmann, Thomas, Cavalleri, Jessika-M V, Steinmann, Eike
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Agricultural Workers' Diseases - virology
Animals
Female
Hepacivirus - classification
Hepacivirus - genetics
Hepacivirus - physiology
Hepatitis C - transmission
Hepatitis C - veterinary
Hepatitis C - virology
Horse Diseases - transmission
Horse Diseases - virology
Horses
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Exposure
Phylogeny
Short Communication
Zoonoses - transmission
Zoonoses - virology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The recent discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related viruses in different animal species has raised new speculations regarding the origin of HCV and the possibility of a zoonotic source responsible for the endemic HCV transmission. As a consequence, these new findings prompt questions regarding the potential for cross-species transmissions of hepaciviruses. The closest relatives to HCV discovered to date are the non-primate hepaciviruses (NPHVs), which have been described to infect horses. To evaluate the risk of a potential zoonotic transmission, we analysed NPHV RNA and antibodies in humans with occupational exposure to horses in comparison with a low-risk group. Both groups were negative for NPHV RNA, even though low seroreactivities against various NPHV antigens could be detected irrespective of the group. In conclusion, we did not observe evidence of NPHV transmission between horses and humans.
ISSN:0022-1317
1465-2099
DOI:10.1099/vir.0.000208