''Hepacivirus'' is a genus of

positive-strand RNA virus Positive-strand RNA viruses (+ssRNA viruses) are a group of related viruses that have positive-sense, single-stranded genomes made of ribonucleic acid. The positive-sense genome can act as messenger RNA (mRNA) and can be directly translated int ...

es in the family ''

Flaviviridae ''Flaviviridae'' is a family of enveloped positive-strand RNA viruses which mainly infect mammals and birds. They are primarily spread through arthropod vectors (mainly ticks and mosquitoes). The family gets its name from the yellow fever viru ...

''. The hepatitis C virus (HCV), in species ''

Hepacivirus C The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer ( hepato ...

'', infects humans and is associated with

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...

and hepatocellular carcinoma. There are fourteen species in the genus which infect a range of other

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...

History

Hepatitis C virus The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family '' Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer (hepatoc ...

(HCV), which is the causative agent of hepatitis C in humans, and a member of the species ''Hepacivirus C'', was discovered in 1989. Seven genotypes (1–7) and eighty-six subtypes (1a, 1b etc.) of hepatitis C virus have been named. GBV-B virus (also known as GB virus B) discovered in 1995 is capable of infecting

New World monkeys New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ...

, in particular

tamarins The tamarins are squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Callitrichidae in the genus ''Saguinus''. They are the first offshoot in the Callitrichidae tree, and therefore are the sister group of a clade formed by the lion tamarins, Goe ...

. Like HCV it is transmitted by the blood-borne route and similar to HCV it is associated with the

viral hepatitis Viral hepatitis is liver inflammation due to a viral infection. It may present in acute form as a recent infection with relatively rapid onset, or in chronic form. The most common causes of viral hepatitis are the five unrelated hepatotropic vi ...

. However GBV-B has never been identified in wild animals and its natural host is not known.

Structure

Viruses in the genus ''Hepacivirus'' are enveloped and have spherical icosahedral-like geometries with pseudo T=3 symmetry. The virus particle diameter is around 50 nm. Genomes are linear, non-segmented, and around 10,000 nucleotides in length.

Life cycle

Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral envelope protein E to host receptors, which mediates clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Replication follows the positive-strand RNA virus replication model. Positive strand RNA virus transcription is the method of transcription. Translation takes place by viral initiation. Humans and other vertebrate serve as the natural host. Transmission routes are sexual, blood, and contact.

Taxonomy

In the genus ''Hepacvirus'' there are 14 species:

Additional information

Additional hepaciviruses have been described from bats, rodents including bank voles, horses, and dogs. Rodent hepacivirus is found in the deer mouse (''

Peromyscus maniculatus ''Peromyscus maniculatus'' is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is most commonly called the eastern deer mouse; when formerly grouped with the western deer mouse (''P. sonoriensis''), it was referred to as the North American deermou ...

''). A virus related to hepaciviruses is found in bamboo rat ('' Rhizomys pruinosus''). A virus related to hepaciviruses infects the long-tailed ground squirrel ''

Spermophilus undulatus The long-tailed ground squirrel or Eversmann's souslik (''Urocitellus undulatus'') is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Description The long-tailed ground squirrel has ...

.''Li LL, Liu MM, Shen S, Zhang YJ, Xu YL, Deng HY, Deng F, Duan ZJ (2019) Detection and characterization of a novel hepacivirus in long-tailed ground squirrels (''Spermophilus undulatus'') in China. Arch Virol Cattle are a host for viruses of the species ''Hepacivirus N''. The viruses most closely related to ''Hepacivirus C'' are the equine hepaciviruses of the species ''Hepacivirus A''. There are at least two subtypes of equine hepacivirus. Hepacivirus A infecting horses has also been found in donkeys.Walter S, Rasche A, Moreira-Soto A, Pfaender S, Bletsa M, Corman VM, Aguilar-Setien A, García-Lacy F, Hans A, Todt D, Schuler G, Shnaiderman-Torban A, Steinman A, Roncoroni C, Veneziano V, Rusenova N12, Sandev N12, Rusenov A, Zapryanova D, García-Bocanegra I, Jores J, Carluccio A, Veronesi MC, Cavalleri JMV, Drosten C, Lemey P, Steinmann E, Drexler JF (2016) Differential infection patterns and recent evolutionary origins of Equine Hepaciviruses in donkeys. J Virol 91(1) A virus related to the hepaciviruses has been isolated from bald eagles ('' Haliaeetus leucocephalus'').Goldberg TL, Sibley SD, Pinkerton ME, Dunn CD, Long LJ, White LC, Strom SM (2019) Multidecade mortality and a homolog of Hepatitis C Virus in bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the national bird of the USA. Sci Rep 9(1):14953 Another unclassified virus in this taxon is duck hepacivirus-like virus.Chu L, Jin M, Feng C, Wang X, Zhang D (2019) A highly divergent hepacivirus-like flavivirus in domestic ducks. J Gen Virol A virus related to hepaciviruses has been isolated from the graceful catshark (''

Proscyllium habereri The graceful catshark (''Proscyllium habereri'') is a species of finback catshark, belonging to the family Proscylliidae. This shark is found in the western Pacific Ocean, from southeastern Japan to Vietnam and northwestern Java, at depths betwe ...

''). The virus – Jogalong virus – has been described that appears to belong to another species in this genus.Williams SH, Levy A, Yates RA, Somaweera N, Neville PJ, Nicholson J, Lindsay MDA, Mackenzie JS, Jain K, Imrie A, Smith DW, Lipkin WI (2020) Discovery of Jogalong virus, a novel hepacivirus identified in a ''Culex annulirostris'' (Skuse) mosquito from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. PLoS One 15(1):e0227114

References

External links

ICTV Report: Flaviviridae

Virus Pathogen Database and Analysis Resource (ViPR): Flaviviridae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2082778 Virus genera