The sequential change of serum 2',5' oligoadenylate synthetase in different infectious patterns of duck hepatitis B virus in ducks in experimental transmission.

Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) shows clear age-dependent infectious patterns like that of Hepatitis B virus, and many factors have been assumed to have a role in the persistence of the infection. In the present study, the activities of the interferon-induced enzyme 2',5' oligoadenylate synthetase (2,5AS) were observed sequentially in the serum of ducks experimentally infected with DHBV on posthatch days 1, 7 and 14. These were compared with the infectious pattern to investigate whether the endogenous interferon response after infection in ducks of different ages has a major role in its determination. The infectious pattern of DHBV in 1-day-old ducks was persistent without hepatitis and the others were transient with hepatitis. Persistently infected ducks showed significantly lower activities of 2,5AS compared with those with transient hepatitis, which resulted in a rapid elimination of DHBV. Although 1-day-old ducks showed significantly high 2,5AS compared with non-infected ducks, interferon response alone appeared to be insufficient for the elimination of DHBV. The immune response seemed necessary for the complete elimination of DHBV by way of evoking hepatitis and stimulating more interferon response during the usual infectious course. The interferon system alone did not seem to have a critical role in determining the infectious pattern. Other factors, including the immune response to the virus, seemed to have a major role in this problem.