A HEPATITIS VIRUS INFECTED GROUND SQUIRREL COLONY

三年前，我们在比奇地鼠身上发现了一种肝炎病毒 (GSHV)具有超微结构、抗原性、分子和生物学特性 与人类和土拨鼠肝炎的乙肝病毒相似 病毒(WHV)。在过去的3年里，我们研究了GSHV的寄主范围， 其抗原性和多肽结构、DNA结构和病毒 DNA在感染的肝脏中形成。很少或没有肝炎，也没有肝癌 在长期感染GSHV的地松鼠身上观察到了与 中重型肝炎和肝癌在WHV中常见 受感染的土拨鼠和感染了乙肝病毒的人类。我们建议调查 不同地区肝病发病率和严重程度差异的依据 不同的病毒宿主系统。我们将调查传染性和 GSHV对土拨鼠的致病性和对黄鼠的致病性 试图确定两者的致病性是否存在差异 病毒，或者两个主机的响应不同导致了 观察到发病率的差异。我们将检测病毒DNA GSHV感染地松鼠肝脏中的形态及病毒 DNA整合到细胞DNA中，并将这些发现与 在土拨鼠和人类系统中的结果。我们将研究 环境条件和黄曲霉毒素B1对GSHV致病作用的影响 在地松鼠身上。我们将研究GSHV DNA在感染人群中的复制 肝脏和组织培养细胞中，如果它们能成功感染的话。 最后，我们将研究抗病毒药物对高滴度的影响。 在GSHV中可见持续感染。

Three years ago we discovered a hepatitis virus in Beechey ground squirrels (GSHV) with ultrastructural, antigenic, molecular and biological properties similar to those of hepatitis B virus (HBV) of man and woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). In the past 3 years we have studied the host range of GSHV, its antigenic and polypeptide structure, its DNA structure and the viral DNA forms in infected liver. Little or no hepatitis and no hepatomas have been observed in chronically GSHV infected ground squirrels in contrast to moderately severe hepatitis and hepatomas frequently observed in WHV infected woodchucks and HBV infected humans. We propose to investigate the basis for the difference in incidence and severity of liver disease in the different virus-host systems. We will investigate the infectivity and pathogenicity of GSHV for woodchucks and WHV for ground squirrels to attempt to determine whether a difference in pathogenicity of the two virus, or a difference in response of the two hosts accounts for the observed difference in disease incidence. We will examine the viral DNA forms in GSHV infected ground squirrel liver and determine whether viral DNA becomes integrated in cellular DNA, and compare these findings with results in woodchuck and human systems. We will study the effects of environmental conditions and aflatoxin B1 on the pathogenic effects of GSHV in ground squirrels. We will study replication of GSHV DNA in infected liver and in tissue culture cells if they can be successfully infected. Finally, we will study the effect of antivirals on the high titer persistent infection seen in GSHV.