Genetic Diversity of Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus in Southern Taiwan
Benji Brayan Ilagan Silva,
Jin-Yang Chen,
Brian Harvey Avanceña Villanueva,
Zi-Ying Lu,
Hua-Zhen Hsing,
Andrew D. Montecillo,
Maya Shofa,
Hoang Minh,
Jen-Pin Chuang,
Huai-Ying Huang,
Akatsuki Saito,
Kuo-Pin Chuang
Affiliations
Benji Brayan Ilagan Silva
International Degree Program in Animal Vaccine Technology, International College, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Jin-Yang Chen
Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Brian Harvey Avanceña Villanueva
International Degree Program in Animal Vaccine Technology, International College, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Zi-Ying Lu
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Hua-Zhen Hsing
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Andrew D. Montecillo
Microbiology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines
Maya Shofa
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 8892192, Japan
Hoang Minh
Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Jen-Pin Chuang
Department of Surgery, Chia-Yi Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chia-Yi 60069, Taiwan
Huai-Ying Huang
International Degree Program in Animal Vaccine Technology, International College, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Akatsuki Saito
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 8892192, Japan
Kuo-Pin Chuang
International Degree Program in Animal Vaccine Technology, International College, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH) is an infectious disease associated with chronic hepatitis in cats, which suggests a similarity with hepatitis B virus infections in humans. Since its first identification in Australia in 2018, DCH has been reported in several countries with varying prevalence rates, but its presence in Taiwan has yet to be investigated. In this study, we aimed to identify the presence and genetic diversity of DCH infections in Taiwan. Among the 71 samples tested, eight (11.27%) were positive for DCH. Of these positive cases, three cats had elevated levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), suggesting an association between DCH infection and chronic hepatitis. Four DCH-positive samples were also tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) coinfection. One sample (25%) was positive for FIV, whereas there was no positive sample for FeLV (0%). In addition, we performed whole genome sequencing on six samples to determine the viral genome sequences. Phylogenetic analyses identified a distinct lineage compared with previously reported sequences. This study highlights the importance of continuous surveillance of DCH and further research to elucidate the pathophysiology and transmission route of DCH.
