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One Health potential: Promising Animal model for Human Hepatitis C virus

Canine [dog] Hepacivirus

A report by Kapoor et al. (2011) recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal describes a canine homolog of hepatitis C virus (HCV), dubbed canine hepacivirus (CHV), which is closely related to HCV.[1]  CHV is a respiratory illness in dogs, with low virus titers found in the liver.  The authors were unsure whether CHV is hepatotropic (ability of the virus to replicate in the liver).  They estimate the 2 viruses diverged in the past 500-1000 years, after canine domestication.  The authors suggest HCV emerged from human infections with CHV.   This discovery provides a promising animal model in which to study the pathogenesis and treatment of HCV. 

1. Kapoor, A., et al., Characterization of a canine homolog of hepatitis C virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2011. 108(28): p. 11608-13.

Note: PNAS is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Provided by:

Whitney Baker Krueger, PhDc, MPH

Global Pathogens Laboratory http://gpl.phhp.ufl.edu, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Profession, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (USA).