Provisionally named Human Circovirus 1 (HCirV-1), a new circovirus has been discovered. Still unknown, this virus is particularly involved in human hepatitis, attacking the liver in particular.
In a Press release published on January 25, the Institut Pasteur wrote: “This family of very resistant small DNA viruses was initially identified in 1974 in different animal species where they can be responsible for respiratory, renal, dermatological and reproductive problems”.
And to add:HCirV-1 is a new virus, distant from known animal circoviruses. Its role has been demonstrated in liver damage in a patient undergoing immunosuppressive treatment. This discovery of the first circovirus in humans, linked to hepatitis, was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases on January 3, 2023.
New treatments?
Having received a heart and lung transplant seventeen years ago, the 61-year-old woman was diagnosed with a asymptomatic cytolytic hepatitis in November 2021, without explanation. At a sequencing, the researchers would have discovered the HCirV-1. “The results showed that the viral genome of HCirV-1 was undetectable in blood samples from 2017 to 2019, then its concentration peaked in September 2021 (…) 2 to 3% of liver cells” were affected.
Thanks to this discovery, the woman was able to heal, but above all, she opens new perspectives on the treatment of certain types of hepatitis . Anne Jamet, co-author of the study, writes: “To adapt the treatment and follow-up of patients, it is essential for us to know the cause of hepatitis, and in particular to know if it is viral. identification of this new pathogenic virus for humans and the development ofa test that can be performed by any hospital laboratory provides a new tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with hepatitis”.
