Starkman S E, MacDonald D M, Lewis J C M, Holmes E C, Simmonds P
Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh, EH9 1QH, UK.
Virology. 2003 Sep 15;314(1):381-93. doi: 10.1016/s0042-6822(03)00430-6.
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been detected in human populations throughout the world, as well as in a number of ape species (Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, gibbons [Nomascus and Hylobates species] and Pongo pygmaeus). To investigate the distribution of naturally occurring HBV infection in these species and other African Old World monkey species (Cercopithecidae), we screened 137 plasma samples from mainly wild caught animals by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using several of highly conserved primers from the HB surface (HBs) gene, and for HBs antigen (HBsAg) by ELISA. None of the 93 Cercopithecidae screened (6 species) showed PCR or serology evidence for HBV infection; in contrast 2 from 8 chimpanzees and 5 from 22 gibbons were PCR-positive with each set of primers. Complete genome sequences from each of the positive apes were obtained and compared with all previously published complete and surface gene sequences. This extended phylogenetic analysis indicated that HBV variants from orangutans were interspersed by with HBV variants from southerly distributed gibbon species (H. agilis and H. moloch) occupying overlapping or adjacent habitat ranges with orangutans; in contrast, HBV variants from gibbon species in mainland Asia were phylogenetically distinct. A geographical rather than (sub)species association of HBV would account for the distribution of HBV variants in different subspecies of chimpanzees in Africa, and explain the inlier position of the previously described lowland gorilla sequence in the chimpanzee clade. These new findings have a number of implication for understanding the origins and epidemiology of HBV infection in non-human primates.
在世界各地的人类群体以及一些猿类物种（黑猩猩、大猩猩、长臂猿[合趾猿属和白眉长臂猿属物种]和红毛猩猩）中都检测到了乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染。为了调查这些物种以及其他非洲旧大陆猴类物种（猕猴科）中自然发生的HBV感染分布情况，我们使用了来自HB表面（HBs）基因的几种高度保守引物，通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）对137份主要从野外捕获动物身上采集的血浆样本进行了筛查，并通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）检测了HBs抗原（HBsAg）。在筛查的93份猕猴科动物样本（6个物种）中，没有一份显示出HBV感染的PCR或血清学证据；相比之下，8只黑猩猩中有2只、22只长臂猿中有5只对每组引物的PCR检测呈阳性。我们获得了每只阳性猿类的完整基因组序列，并与所有先前发表的完整序列和表面基因序列进行了比较。这种扩展的系统发育分析表明，红毛猩猩的HBV变体与来自分布在更南部的长臂猿物种（敏捷长臂猿和婆罗洲白须长臂猿）的HBV变体相互穿插，这些长臂猿物种与红毛猩猩占据重叠或相邻的栖息地范围；相比之下，亚洲大陆长臂猿物种的HBV变体在系统发育上是不同的。HBV的地理而非（亚）物种关联可以解释非洲不同亚种黑猩猩中HBV变体的分布情况，并解释先前描述的低地大猩猩序列在黑猩猩进化枝中的异常位置。这些新发现对于理解非人类灵长类动物中HBV感染的起源和流行病学具有重要意义。
