Title
Screening for simian foamy virus infection by using a combined antigen Western blot assay: Evidence for a wide distribution among Old World primates and identification of four new divergent viruses
Author(s)
Hussain A.I., Shanmugam V., Bhullar V.B., Beer B.E., Vallet D., Gautier-Hion A., Wolfe N.D., Karesh W.B., Kilbourn A.M., Tooze Z., Heneine W., Switzer W.M.
Published
2003
Publisher
Virology
Abstract
Simian foamy viruses (SFVs) belong to a genetically and antigenically diverse class of retroviruses that naturally infect a wide range of nonhuman primates (NHPs) and can also be transmitted to humans occupationally exposed to NHPs. Current serologic detection of SFV infection requires separate Western blot (WB) testing by using two different SFV antigens [SFVAGM (African green monkey) and SFVCPZ (chimpanzee)]. However, this method is labor intensive and validation is limited to only small numbers of NHPs. To facilitate serologic SFV testing, we developed a WB assay that combines antigens from both SFVAGM and SFVCPZ. The combined-antigen WB (CA-WB) assay was validated with 145 serum samples from 129 NHPs (32 African and Asian species) and 16 humans, all with known SFV infection status determined by PCR. Concordant CA-WB results were obtained for all 145 PCR-positive or -negative primate and human specimens, giving the assay a 100% sensitivity and specificity. In addition, no reactivity was observed in sera from persons positive for human immunodeficiency virus or human T cell lymphotropic virus (HIV/HTLV) (n = 25) or HIV/HTLV-negative U.S. blood donors (n = 100). Using the CA-WB assay, we screened 360 sera from 43 Old World primate species and found an SFV prevalence of about 68% in both African and Asian primates. We also isolated SFV from the blood of four seropositive primates (Allenopithecus nigroviridis, Trachypithecus françoisi, Hylobates pileatus, and H. leucogenys) not previously known to be infected with SFV. Phylogenetic analysis of integrase sequences from these isolates confirmed that all four SFVs represent new, distinct, and highly divergent lineages. These results demonstrate the ability of the CA-WB assay to detect infection in a large number of NHP species, including previously uncharacterized infections with divergent SFVs. © 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Keywords
antigen; integrase; Africa; article; Asia; blood analysis; blood donor; blood sampling; Human immunodeficiency virus; human t cell lymphotropic virus; immunoassay; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; phylogeny; polymerase chain reaction; primate; priority journal; sequence analysis; simian foamy virus; Simian virus; United States; validation process; virus examination; virus infection; virus isolation; virus strain; Western blotting; Africa; Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Antigens, Viral; Ape Diseases; Asia; Blotting, Western; Cercopithecus aethiops; Humans; Integrases; Molecular Sequence Data; Monkey Diseases; Pan troglodytes; Primates; Retroviridae Infections; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Spumavirus; Allenopithecus nigroviridis; Cercopithecus aethiops; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human spumaretrovirus; Hylobates; Hylobates leucogenys; Hylobates pileatus; Pan troglodytes; Primates; Rabbit fibroma virus; Simiae; Simian foamy virus; Trachypithecus; Trachypithecus francoisi
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PUB11248