Hepatovirus infections in juvenile seals from the North Sea.

ABSTRACT: The discovery of several novel hepatovirus species in marine and terrestrial mammals has expanded the recognised members of the genus Hepatovirus and has provided better understanding on the evolutionary origins of human hepatovirus A (HAV). Using high throughput sequencing we detected a seal hepatovirus (SealHAV_NL/PV/21), in liver tissue of a deceased harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) originating from the Dutch North Sea coast. RT-PCR screening of liver samples of 88 harbor seals and 12 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) from the same region identified seal hepatovirus in nine juvenile harbor seals in which minor sequence variation was observed in the VP1 gene. Whole-genome sequence analysis showed that SealHAV_NL/PV/21 displayed 95.6% nucleotide indentity to New England seal hepatovirus but had

SUBMITTER: Mirolo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11721073 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature