CHRONIC INFECTION IN WOODCHUCKS INFECTED BY A CLONED HEPATITIS-DELTA VIRUS

Two woodchucks (Marmota monax) intrahepatically inoculated with hepati tis delta virus (HDV) complementary DNA clones pSVL-D3 and pSVL-Ag sho wed virological and pathological signs of acute and chronic HDV infect ion. HDV-RNA and hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) were detected in serum by slot-blot hybridization and by western blot five weeks after inocu lation. Liver biopsy specimens collected at 8th week post inoculum wer e positive for HDV-RNA. Anti-HDV antibodies were detected at the 11th and 9th weeks, respectively. Histological finding of hepatocarcinoma a nd persistence of circulating HDV-RNA and anti-HDV were observed up to the 10th month. Both woodchucks produced ''small'' and ''large'' HDAg antigen, although the inoculated cloned DNA bears the coding capabili ty solely for the small antigen. A transient decrease of woodchuck hep atitis virus DNA (WHV-DNA) level was observed during the peak of HDV i nfection. Successive inoculation of acute-phase serum in three woodchu cks resulted in a successful infection in one of the animals.