title: The chimpanzee model for hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: Even before the discovery of hepatitis B virus (HBV), it was known that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are susceptible to human hepatitis viruses. The chimpanzee is the only primate animal model for HBV infections. Much like HBV-infected human patients, chimpanzees can develop acute and chronic HBV infections and consequent hepatitis. Chimpanzees also develop a cellular immune response similar to that observed in humans. For these reasons, the chimpanzee has proven to be an invaluable model for investigations on HBV-driven disease pathogenesis and also the testing of novel antiviral therapies and prophylactic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037.
authors.forename: Stefan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wieland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055808:Drug Discovery; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D019562:Viral Load / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines