Evaluation of HBV-Like Circulation in Wild and Farm Animals from Brazil and Uruguay

The origin of the hepatitis B virusis a subject of wide deliberation among researchers. As a result, increasing academic interest has focused on the spread of the virus in different animalspecies. However, the sources of viral infection for many of these animalsare unknown since transmission may occur from animalto animal, human to human, animalto human, and human to animal. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepadnaviruscirculation in wild and farm animals(including animalsraised under wild or free conditions) from different sites in Brazil and Uruguay using serological and molecular tools. A total of 487 domestic wild and farm animalswere screened for hepatitis B virus(HBV) serological markers and tested via quantitative and qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect viral DNA. We report evidence of HBsAg (surface antigen of HBV) and total anti-HBc (HBV core antigen) markers as well as low-copy hepadnavirusDNA among domestic and wild animals. According to our results, which were confirmed by partial genome sequencing, as the proximity between humans and animalsincreases, the potential for pathogen dispersal also increases. A wider knowledge and understanding of reverse zoonoses should be sought for an effective One Health response.