title: Detection of mammalian and avian hepadnaviruses by the polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: The hepadnavirus family contains a number of related viruses able to infect a variety of animal species. In the present study, we have used the polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide primers to a conserved region of the viral replicase gene of hepadnaviruses to identify viral sequences in de novo tissues in three well-characterized hepadnavirus systems: the woodchuck, ground squirrel and Pekin duck. We did not detect related hepadnavirus sequences in liver specimens from tree squirrels putatively infected with the tree squirrel hepatitis virus, or in liver specimens from horses with hepatitis (serum sickness), or from dogs with chronic active hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Gumerlock
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kraegel
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Madewell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004285:Dogs; D004372:Ducks; D015613:Hepadnaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006736:Horses; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008392:Marmota; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012589:Sciuridae
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides