Identification of a Hepatitis B Virus Genome in Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) from East Africa Indicates a Wide Geographical Dispersion among Equatorial African Primates

DNAs from four wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) from eastern Africa were screened for 14 DNA viruses and retroviruses. Between two and three viruses were found in each animal. An entire hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome was amplified and sequenced from samples taken from one animal. This indicates that HBV is distributed across the entire range of chimpanzee habitats.