title: Hepadnavirus detected in bile and liver samples from domestic pigs of commercial abattoirs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preliminary studies showed the prevalence of a virus similar to human hepatitis B virus (HBV-like) in swine from farms in China and the molecular evidence of Hepadnavirus infection in domestic pigs herds in Brazil. In this study, we genetically characterize the swine Hepadnavirus strains in swine from slaughterhouses located in certified abattoirs from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil and evaluate its hepatotropic potential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bile and liver samples from swine were positive for partial genome amplification (ORF S and ORF C), direct sequencing and viral load quantification. Sequencing of the gene encoding the surface antigen allowed classification of Hepadnavirus into genotypes, similar to HBV genotype classification. Indirect immunofluorescence confirmed the presence of HBsAg antigen in liver tissue sections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  So far our data suggest that commercial swine house an HBV-like virus and this relevant finding should be considered in studies on the origin and viral evolution.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Virologia, Pavilhão Hélio e Peggy Pereira - 2° andar - sala B220, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Av, Brasil, n° 4365, Manguinhos - RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Cep: 21045-900, RJ, Brasil. yasminerangel@ig.com.br.
authors.forename: Yasmine Rangel
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Debora Regina Lopes
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Moyra Machado
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Portilho
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo Pereira
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Velloso
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arissawa
authors.forename: Livia Melo
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Villar
authors.forename: Marcelo Alves
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Vanessa Salete
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: de Paula
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000821:virology*; D001938:Brazil; D005838:Genotype; D015613:Hepadnaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load