STUDIES OF THE NATURAL HISTORY AND TREATMENT OF DUCK HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION

人与人之间在结构和性质上有许多相似之处， B型肝炎病毒（HEV）和鸭B型肝炎病毒（DHBV）。这些 相似之处表明鸭乙型肝炎病毒感染鸭可能是一个有用的， 人HBV感染的实验模型，特别是HBV不能被 在细胞培养中容易生长。在出生时感染DHBV的鸭子成为 病毒的慢性携带者，虽然他们可能不会发展明显的 肝炎据报道，一些感染DHBV的鸭 肝细胞癌类似的人类肿瘤与 慢性B型肝炎的病因。作为筛选测试， 治疗人类慢性B型肝炎的新的有效疗法，新的抗病毒药物 和免疫调节剂正在评估其能力， 抑制鸭乙型肝炎病毒复制。

There are many similarities in structure and properties between the human hepatitis B virus (HEV) and the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). These similarities suggest that DHBV infection in ducks may be a useful experimental model of human HBV infection, particularly as HBV cannot be grown readily in cell culture. Ducks infected with DHBV at birth become chronic carriers of the virus, although they may not develop overt hepatitis. Some DHBV-infected ducks have been reported to develop hepatocellular carcinoma. The analogous human tumor is strongly linked etiologically with chronic hepatitis B infection. As a screening test for new effective therapies for chronic type B hepatitis in man, new antiviral and immunomodulatory agents are being assessed for their ability to suppress DHBV replication in ducks.