Equine hepacivirus (EHV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Orthohepacivirus.[3] EHV includes Canine hepacivirus (CHV).[4] It infects dogs and horses, and causes pulmonary infections in dogs. Unlike the related Hepatitis C virus, it is not known to cause hepatitis in either host.
| Equine hepacivirus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Kitrinoviricota |
| Class: | Flasuviricetes |
| Order: | Amarillovirales |
| Family: | Hepaciviridae |
| Genus: | Orthohepacivirus |
| Species: | Orthohepacivirus equi |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
History
editGenome
editAs of 2012, the genome has not yet been fully sequenced. The available sequence is about 6,500 nucleotides in length. It is predicted to have a polyprotein that can be cleaved into 10 smaller proteins. There is a 'slippery sequence' – A5NNA5 – within the genome which may encode a programmed frameshift. It encodes two envelope proteins (E1 and E2) as well as cysteine and serine proteases.[3]
Evolution
editThe virus appears to have evolved from the Hepatitis C virus between 500 and 1,000 years ago.[3]
The equine lineages (EHV) are more diverse than the canine lineages (CHV), suggesting that the former are ancestral to the latter. CHV appears to have originated in a cross-species transmission from horses to dogs around 1970. The origin of EHV is not known, but it seems that both EHV and Hepatitis C virus have originated in separate cross-species transmission events from a common source.[4]
References
edit- ↑ Smith, Donald B.; et al. (23 June 2016). "Create 13 new species in the genus Hepacivirus and rename 1 species (family Flaviviridae)" (PDF). International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). p. 3. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
All other species are named according to the date of publication of a complete coding sequence with the exception of Hepacivirus B which includes GBV-B (providing a memorable link) and Hepacivirus A (canine hepacivirus/non-primate hepacivirus).
- ↑ "Taxon Details: Orthohepacivirus equi". International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Kapoor A, Simmonds P, Gerold G, Qaisar N, Jain K, Henriquez JA, Firth C, Hirschberg DL, Rice CM, Shields S, Lipkin WI (2011). "Characterization of a canine homolog of hepatitis C virus". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108 (28): 11608–13. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10811608K. doi:10.1073/pnas.1101794108. PMC 3136326. PMID 21610165.
- 1 2 3 Pybus OG, Thézé J (February 2016). "Hepacivirus cross-species transmission and the origins of the hepatitis C virus". Curr Opin Virol. 16: 1–7. doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2015.10.002. PMID 26517843.