{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T16:12:44Z","timestamp":1779207164532,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Orthohepanaviruses are viruses that infect a number of mammals, including humans and non-human primates. However, previous studies in great apes in Gabon in 2001 found one strain of hepadnavirus (HBV ChBassi strain) displaying genetic recombination between human, gorilla and chimpanzee strains, suggesting cross-species transmissions among primates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of HBV DNA in non-human primates (NHPs) and to compare it with human HBV strains in order to assess the zoonotic potential. We analyzed feces from 1891 NHPs, collected in forests in Gabon, to find human HBV-related hepadnaviruses by amplifying a portion of the S gene using hemi-nested techniques, followed by sequencing. A total of 51 samples were PCR-positive. Thirteen of the fourteen sequences obtained after sequencing were phylogenetically more closely related to chimpanzee HBV strains, while the fourteenth sequence was associated with the ChBassi HBV strain. This study shows that HBV infection is endemic in wild-born great apes in Gabon. The detection of a strain genetically close to the Bassi strain (a potential zoonotic strain) highlights the need for more in-depth studies to provide an effective response as part of the \u2018One Health\u2019 initiative.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens15050528","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T15:17:23Z","timestamp":1779203843000},"page":"528","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hepatitis B Virus in Gabonese Non-Human Primate: Potential Zoonotic Circulation and Long-Term Strain Persistence"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0941-4711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danielle S.","family":"Koumba Mavoungou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"},{"name":"Ecole Doctorale R\u00e9gionale d\u2019Afrique Centrale en Infectiologie Tropicale (EDR), Franceville BP 876, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9551-3017","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Larson","family":"Boundenga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 de Recherche en Ecologie de la Sant\u00e9 (URES), Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement D\u2019anthropologie, Universit\u00e9 de Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8749-4263","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sonia E.","family":"Lekana-Douki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-7475-3752","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Neil M. Longo","family":"Pendy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 de Recherche en Ecologie de la Sant\u00e9 (URES), Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Schedy E. Koumba","family":"Moukouama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Linda Bohou","family":"Kombila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6653-3828","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriel","family":"Falque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2443-0067","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joa Bra\u00efthe","family":"Mangombi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 Emergence des Maladies Virales, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3143-1060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Augustin","family":"Mouinga-Ondeme","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit\u00e9 des Infections R\u00e9trovirales et Pathologies Associ\u00e9es, Centre International de Recherche M\u00e9dicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville BP 769, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5500-0169","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vladimir","family":"Dedkov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"},{"name":"Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector Borne Diseases, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4401-3706","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laurent","family":"Dacheux","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut Pasteur, Universit\u00e9 Paris Cit\u00e9, Environment and Infectious Risks Unit, 75724 Cedex 15 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Avelin F.","family":"Aghokeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Leurs Vecteurs (MIVEGEC), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veleppement (IRD), 34000 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7829-7113","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nadine","family":"N\u2019dilimabaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de Biologie, Facult\u00e9 des Sciences, Universit\u00e9 des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), Franceville BP 901, Gabon"},{"name":"Ecole des Sciences et M\u00e9decine V\u00e9t\u00e9rinaires de Masuku (ESMVM), Universit\u00e9 des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), Franceville BP 901, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"379","article-title":"Relationships within and between genotypes of hepatitis B virus at points across the genome: Footprints of recombination in certain isolates","volume":"81","author":"Bowyer","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. 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