| Abstract |
- The first calicivirus was described 75 years ago in California in a foot-
and-mouth--like epidemic in swine. Control measures were slaughter and
burial of all affected pigs. However, epidemic spread among swine
continued for 24 years, then the disease disappeared. The virus was
declared eradicated, but was re-discovered 16 years later in aborting
marine mammals in the Pacific Basin Sixty-six years after discovery,
the first human infections were published as a blistering disease of the
hands, feet and face. This virus (genus Vesivirus) with large, diverse ocean
reservoirs in fish, shellfish, seals and whales had become a human
pathogen. Pathogenic vesiviruses can be associated with abortion,
encephalitis, myocarditis, pancreatitis, blistering, hemorrhagic death and
hepatitis among domestic animals, zoo-animals and marine mammals.
Human involvement is less defined except for blistering and as we report
here, hepatitis. Over 1000 sera collected from blood-donors, both normal
and with suspected liver disease and from clinical hepatitis cases in the
USA and Europe, all testing negative for known hepatitis viruses, were
tested for vesiviral antibodies. ELISA tests compared 5 antigen
preparations (3 individual vesivirus serotypes, FCV-F9, SMSV-9, and
7420, a pool of 3 additional serotypes, SMSV types 5,13 and 17, and a
recombinant peptide, D3A). Vesiviral sero-specificity was supported by
positive results using western blot, a riboprobe, and RT-PCR
amplification. Viruses FCV-F9 and SMSV-9 detected no difference in
prevalence of vesiviral antibody between groups (about 2-3% positive).
The remaining three antigens gave an antibody prevalence of 12% in
normal populations, double that in individuals with evidence of liver
disease and 47-60% positive in cases of post-transfusional hepatitis. We
conclude that these data provide evidence of a vesiviral induced hepatitis,
which can be transfusion transmitted. We propose calling this newly
described disease hepatitis vesiviral (HVV).
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