''Woodchuck hepatitis virus'' (WHV) is a species of the genus ''

Orthohepadnavirus ''Orthohepadnavirus'' is a genus of viruses, in the family ''Hepadnaviridae''. Humans and other mammals serve as natural hosts. There are 12 species in this genus. Diseases associated with this genus include: hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma ...

''. It was first discovered in 1977 in a captive population of '' Marmota monax'', but has since been discovered in wild populations in the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

. Infected woodchucks which are unable to clear the infection inevitably develop

hepatocellular carcinoma Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults and is currently the most common cause of death in people with cirrhosis. HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It occurs in t ...

; this has led to the use of WHV in woodchucks as a model for human ''

Hepatitis B virus ''Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) is a partially double-stranded DNA virus, a species of the genus ''Orthohepadnavirus'' and a member of the ''Hepadnaviridae'' family of viruses. This virus causes the disease hepatitis B. Disease Despite there bein ...

'' infections.

References

Animal viral diseases Hepadnaviridae Groundhogs {{Virus-stub