Duck hepatitis B virus

Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) is a member of the hepadna virus family. In this review we have attempted to summarize the current knowledge of the molecular biology of DHBV and its use in hepadna virus research. DHBV has attracted considerable attention because ducks are the only domesticated animals in which hepadna viruses can be studied. Major advances in the understanding of the life cycle of hepadna viruses have been obtained by using DHBV-infected animals. The basic principles and many details of hepadna virus replication have been discovered using DHBV-infected ducks. Infection of hepatocytes in vitro has been achieved so far only with duck liver cells. Important knowledge came from studies on tissue and cell tropism, genome structure, gene organization and gene expression mechanisms. In addition, there is increasing evidence for the further potential of this animal system for studying pathogenicity, host range, evolution, viral receptors, and viral therapy