Evidence for Novel Hepaciviruses in Rodents

Drexler, Jan Felix; Corman, Victor Max; Müller, Marcel Alexander; Lukashev, Alexander N.; Gmyl, Anatoly; Coutard, Bruno; Adam, Alexander; Ritz, Daniel; Leijten, Lonneke M.; van Riel, Debby; Kallies, Rene; Klose, Stefan M.; Gloza-Rausch, Florian; Binger, Tabea; Annan, Augustina; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Oppong, Samuel; Bourgarel, Mathieu; Rupp, Daniel; Hoffmann, Bernd; Schlegel, Mathias; Kümmerer, Beate M.; Krüger, Detlev H.; Schmidt-Chanasit, Jonas; Setién, Alvaro Aguilar; Cottontail, Veronika M.; Hemachudha, Thiravat; Wacharapluesadee, Supaporn; Osterrieder, Klaus; Bartenschlager, Ralf; Matthee, Sonja; Beer, Martin; Kuiken, Thijs; Reusken, Chantal; Leroy, Eric M.; Ulrich, Rainer G.; Drosten, Christian

Only one of the eight sera positive against M. glareolus clade 1 hepaciviruses also contained antibodies against M. glareolus clade 2 hepaciviruses (titers against clade 1 and clade 2 hepaciviruses were 1:200 and 1:3200, respectively). Additional highly sensitive real-time RT-PCR assays were designed specifically for the M. glareolus clade 1 and 2 hepaciviruses and used to analyze the association of viral RNA and antibody status in the 97 M. glareolus sera. No hepacivirus RNA was detected in any of the IFA-positive sera, neither with the broadly reactive screening assays, nor with the additional real-time RT-PCR assay. Therefore, another 239 RNA eluates still containing sufficient volumes to permit screening for M. glareolus clade 1 and 2 hepaciviruses were re-tested with the strain-specific real time RT-PCR assays. Another 57 specimens positive for clade 1 hepaciviruses (23.9%), but no additional clade 2 hepaciviruses were detected. Sera from these PCR-positive animals were obtained and tested for antibodies. Three of the 57 clade 1 RNA-positive sera contained antibodies against clade 1 hepaciviruses (5.3%).