“HCirV-1” – a new type of virus affects the human liver

Disturbing news comes from the Institut Pasteur in Paris: the doctors there have discovered for the first time a representative of the circoviruses that can also make people sick. They named the pathogen “HCirV-1” (human circovirus 1), as their study shows. What is known so far.

Circoviruses were first discovered in 1974. Their name derives from their structure: their DNA is formed into a ring or circle (“cicro”). Little is known about her. So far, they have only affected animals, causing them respiratory, kidney, skin and reproductive problems. They are especially deadly to parrots and have also been found in pigs. They were considered harmless to humans.

In the press release from the Research Center Pasteur, virologist Marc Eloit, co-author of the study, explains: “The patient had unexplained chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver, editors note) with few symptoms. She had a heart-lung transplant 17 years ago and has been checked regularly ever since. We had access to a large number of samples over several years and were therefore able to identify this new virus. That would be totally unexpected.”

The woman was hospitalized in early 2022 for chronic hepatitis. All current explanatory models were unsuccessful in their diagnosis: she was not infected with any of the typical hepatitis pathogens, nor could any other known bacteria or virus be detected. She also did not use preparations known to be harmful to the liver, such as alcohol, drugs or certain medications.

Finally, using computer-aided algorithms, a gene sequence of unknown origin could be identified, which turned out to be a new type of circovirus. It can infect human liver cells, multiply in them and thereby lead to damage in the organ.

According to the researchers, the woman showed only mild symptoms. Classically, liver inflammation is accompanied by the following symptoms:

You can read more about this here at t-online.de.

That remains a mystery to scientists. The immunocompromised woman had neither traveled nor received a blood transfusion before her infection. The DNA analysis also showed that HCirV-1 does not originate from the circoviruses found in birds or pigs in Europe. Rather, it appears to be related to virus variants known to occur in exotic wild animals.

“We suspect that HCirV-1 is of animal origin but may have been transmitted through food, similar to the hepatitis E virus,” the institute said in a statement. This variant of hepatitis can be transmitted by undercooked pork or game meat or products made from them. Person-to-person transmission is possible, but very rare so far.

This, too, is still completely unclear. However, the patient’s examination showed that HCirV-1 was also detectable in her saliva, urine and faeces. However, it remains unclear whether contact with bodily fluids or possibly even the air we breathe can lead to infection.

The researchers have already developed a PCR test for the new virus. In spring 2022, a number of serious and unexplained cases of childhood hepatitis were reported, mainly in the UK but also in other countries. However, it remains unclear whether there is a connection to the newly discovered virus.

(t-online/dsc)