[Comparative morphology of spontaneous hepatitis A in lower Old World monkeys].

Detailed description of liver damage in two species of macaques (rhesus and fascicularis) and green monkeys with spontaneous hepatitis A (HA) induced by the virus similar to human hepatitis. A virus (HAV) is given. Evolution of histological changes was followed by serial liver biopsies. The picture of the hepatitis in the above monkey species resemble that of human NA as well as HA in other monkey species susceptible to HAV. Only in 8 of 21 monkeys the disease lasted for 2-5 months, others exhibited undulating and lingering course which lasted 8-19 months from the beginning of the infection. The lingering course of the infection was caused by HAV persistence in the host with its periodical elimination in faeces.