Jupp P G, Purcell R H, Phillips J M, Shapiro M, Gerin J L
Department of Virology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
S Afr Med J. 1991 Mar 16;79(6):320-2.
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius L.) were fed on an infective blood-hepatitis B virus (HBV) mixture. Further bedbugs and tampan ticks (Ornithodoros moubata [Murray]) were fed on HBV-carrier chimpanzees. After a 10-13 day interval for oviposition, tests done on samples of individual arthropods showed that 53-85% of the bugs were HBsAg-positive and none HBeAg-positive, while 100% of the ticks were HBsAg-positive and 88% HBeAg-positive. The remaining arthropods were fed on 3 susceptible chimpanzees, which had failed to develop HBV infection after 11 months, indicating no transmission had occurred. Subsequently the presence of viable virus in the original infective meals was confirmed by inoculation of the relevant donor sera directly into the 3 still susceptible chimpanzees. HBV infections quickly followed in each animal. It is concluded that, while mechanical transmission of HBV is most unlikely after a 10-13-day interval between feedings in bedbugs and tampans, it is still possible that mechanical transmission between humans might occur during interrupted feeds.
臭虫（温带臭虫）被喂食含有感染性乙肝病毒（HBV）的混合血液。另外的臭虫和钝缘蜱（莫氏钝缘蜱）被喂食乙肝病毒携带者黑猩猩的血液。经过10 - 13天的产卵间隔后，对单个节肢动物样本进行检测，结果显示53 - 85%的臭虫乙肝表面抗原（HBsAg）呈阳性，无一乙肝e抗原（HBeAg）呈阳性，而100%的蜱HBsAg呈阳性，88%的蜱HBeAg呈阳性。其余节肢动物被喂食3只易感黑猩猩，11个月后这些黑猩猩未感染乙肝病毒，表明未发生传播。随后，通过将相关供血者血清直接接种到3只仍易感的黑猩猩体内，证实了原始感染性食物中存在有活力的病毒。每只动物很快都感染了乙肝病毒。得出的结论是，虽然臭虫和钝缘蜱喂食间隔10 - 13天后乙肝病毒极不可能发生机械传播，但在喂食中断期间人与人之间仍有可能发生机械传播。
