Duck hepatitis B virus infection, aflatoxin B1 and liver cancer in domestic Chinese ducks

• Published in: British journal of cancer 1994-01, Vol.69 (1), p.104-109
• Main Authors: Cova, L, Mehrotra, R, Wild, CP, Chutimataewin, S, Cao, SF, Duflot, A, Prave, M, Yu, SZ, Montesano, R, Trepo, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aflatoxin B1 - metabolism; Aflatoxin B1 - toxicity; Animal tumors. Experimental tumors; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer Research; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - etiology; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - genetics; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - veterinary; China - epidemiology; DNA Damage; DNA, Neoplasm - metabolism; DNA, Viral - analysis; Drug Resistance; Ducks - microbiology; Epidemiology; experimental-oncology; Hepadnaviridae Infections - chemically induced; Hepadnaviridae Infections - microbiology; Hepatitis B Virus, Duck - genetics; Liver - drug effects; Liver - microbiology; Liver Neoplasms - etiology; Liver Neoplasms - genetics; Liver Neoplasms - veterinary; Medical sciences; Molecular Medicine; Molecular Sequence Data; Oncology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry Diseases - chemically induced; Poultry Diseases - etiology; Poultry Diseases - microbiology; Risk Factors; Spontaneous animal tumors; Tumors
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/bjc.1994.16

The oncogenicity of Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) is unclear since hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) have been reported only in domestic ducks in Qidong, an area of China where hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are risk factors for liver cancer in man. In order to better define the association between DHBV infection, AFB1 and HCC we analysed a series of 16 duck liver samples collected from local farms in Qidong. HCC was found in eight and cirrhosis in one of these samples. Furthermore bile duct proliferation, characteristic of AFB1 exposure in ducks and other animal species, was found in these ducks. Integration of DHBV DNA into cellular DNA was observed in only one out of four DHBV positive HCCs, indicating that viral integration is not prerequisite for tumour development. In four remaining HCCs the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) failed to show any DHBV DNA suggesting that liver tumours do occur in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) failed to show any DHBV DNA suggesting that liver tumours do occur in these ducks in the absence of DHBV infection. In addition, AFB1-DNA adducts were detected by hplc-immunoassay in one such DHBV-negative tumour. In summary we demonstrate that risk factors other than DHBV, including AFB1 exposure, may be important in duck liver carcinogenesis in Qidong.