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Article analysis:

The article "Bats carry pathogenic hepadnaviruses antigenically related to hepatitis B virus and capable of infecting human hepatocytes" presents a study that screened bat species for hepadnaviral DNA and found unique hepadnaviruses in coancestral relation to HBV. The study suggests that bats may have been ancestral sources of primate hepadnaviruses, and the observed zoonotic potential might affect concepts aimed at eradicating HBV.

The article provides detailed information on the methodology used, including full genome sequencing, quantitative PCR, in situ hybridization, and generation of infectious clones. The authors also present histopathologic changes compatible with hepatitis in infected livers and cross-reactivity of human hepatocytes transfected with all three bat viruses with sera against the HBV core protein.

However, the article has some potential biases and limitations. Firstly, the sample size is relatively small (3,080 specimens from 54 bat species), which may not be representative of all bat populations. Secondly, the study only focused on bats as potential reservoirs for hepadnaviruses related to HBV, while other animal species could also be carriers. Thirdly, the study did not investigate the prevalence or incidence of infection in humans or other animals exposed to bat hepadnaviruses.

Moreover, the article does not provide evidence for some claims made by the authors. For example, they suggest that bats may have been ancestral sources of primate hepadnaviruses without presenting direct evidence for this hypothesis. Additionally, they claim that their findings might affect concepts aimed at eradicating HBV without providing a clear explanation of how this might happen.

In conclusion, while the article presents valuable insights into the potential role of bats as carriers of hepadnaviruses related to HBV and their zoonotic potential, it has some limitations and biases that should be taken into account when interpreting the results. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate the prevalence and incidence of infection in humans and other animals exposed to bat hepadnaviruses.