Ocean virus identified in human blood samples

In the latest study on potential human impacts, scientists looked at samples from more than 700 blood donors at a laboratory that serves eight western states, as well as some samples from patients with clinical hepatitis.

In four study groups, the researchers found:
In blood samples from normal blood donors that had been determined to be safe and were used in blood transfusions, 12 percent showed antibody to Vesivirus, suggesting a previous infection.
In donors who had evidence of liver damage based upon a liver enzyme test, and whose blood had been discarded as a result, 21 percent had antibodies to Vesivirus.

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In persons who previously had transfusions or dialysis, and who then developed hepatitis of unknown cause – meaning it was not caused by known hepatitis types A through E – 47 percent had antibodies to Vesivirus.
In separate tests that looked for actual virus in the blood, rather than antibodies, 5 percent of blood samples from normal donors showed Vesivirus. Among persons with evidence of liver damage, researchers found 11 percent had Vesivirus-contaminated blood.

"This study clearly demonstrates that both Vesivirus and the antibodies against it are fairly common in humans," said Alvin Smith, a professor of veterinary medicine at OSU and one of the world's leading experts on caliciviruses. "Vesivirus is widely distributed in many animal species, but this is a previously unrecognized relationship between Vesivirus and humans."