Severe Acute Hepatitis Outbreaks Associated with a Novel Hepacivirus in Rhizomys pruinosus in Hainan, China

Abstract

Members of the genus Hepacivirus have a broad host range, with at least 14 species identified, but none is highly pathogenic to its host except for hepatitis C virus, which causes severe liver diseases in humans. In this study, a new liver-tropic hepacivirus species was identified by high-throughput sequencing as the pathogen associated with two outbreaks of severely acute hepatitis in hoary bamboo rats ( Rhizomys pruinosus ) on two farms in Hainan Province, China; this is the first reported highly pathogenic animal hepacivirus to our knowledge.