Equine hepacivirus

Equine hepacivirus
Virus classification Edit this classification
(unranked): Virus
Realm: Riboviria
Kingdom: Orthornavirae
Phylum: Kitrinoviricota
Class: Flasuviricetes
Order: Amarillovirales
Family: Hepaciviridae
Genus: Orthohepacivirus
Species:
Orthohepacivirus equi
Synonyms
  • Canine hepacivirus
  • Non-primate hepacivirus
  • Equine hepacivirus
  • Hepacivirus A

Equine hepacivirus (EHV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Orthohepacivirus. EHV includes Canine hepacivirus (CHV). It infects dogs and horses, and causes pulmonary infections in dogs. Like the related Hepatitis C virus, it is known to cause chronic hepatitis in horses.

History

The virus was isolated in 2011 from a number of dogs suffering from respiratory infections. Later, distinct lineages were isolated from horses in different locations.

Genome

As 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.

The overall G+C content is 50.7%.

Evolution

The virus appears to have evolved from the Hepatitis C virus between 500 and 1,000 years ago.

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.

References

  1. ↑ 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).
  2. ↑ "Taxon Details: Orthohepacivirus equi". International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. ↑ Jager, Mason (2026). "Chronic hepatitis in horses with persistent equine hepacivirus infection". Equine Veterinary Journal. 58 (2): 444–457. doi:10.1111/evj.70124. PMC 12892389. PMID 41448947. Retrieved 15 September 2026.