Researchers from the University of Barcelona Enteric Viruses Group, led by scientists Rosa M. Pintó and Albert Bosch, have published findings in the Journal PloS Pathogens meant to understand and facilitate production of the Hepatitis A vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that the Hepatitis A virus, or HAV, is the most prolific viral illness in the world, with about 1.4 million new cases annually.
This is amazing since HAV spreads through the traditional fecal-oral route and does not grow outside of the human body. Nonetheless, it is both difficult to detect and only a microscopic amount can begin the incubation process that will lead to illness onset 15 to 50 days post consumption.
According to Dr. Albert Bosch, because HAV does not grow easily outside the human body, and has a very low replication rate, vaccines are slow and expensive. But, explains Bosch, understanding the unique codon usage in HAV is key because HAV has a very unique pattern of behavior bonding only with tRNA, which occurs only rarely.
To challenge this behavior, researchers used actinomycin D to increase the available tRNA – a way of increasing HAV’s potential mating partners in the population.
With increased tRNA, however, the researchers saw a “Red Queen Effect” – the HAV simply re-adjusted to keep the low replication process. Some species/life forms have a built in mechanism of preventing their presence in a host to increase significantly. The mechanism for this is often a mystery. This “reaction” to actinomycin D seemed to defeat the process.
While the research of Drs. Pintó and Bosch to enhance HAV replication was unique and imaginative, HAV remains difficult to replicate.
For more information about HAV, click here.