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Journal of Virology, February 2001, p. 1783-1789, Vol. 75, No. 4
Simian Retrovirus Laboratory, California
Regional Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis,
Davis, California 95616-8542,1 and
HIV and Retrovirology Branch, National Center for
Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Atlanta, Georgia 303332
Received 7 August 2000/Accepted 20 November 2000
Simian type D retrovirus (SRV) is enzootic in many populations of
Asian monkeys of the genus Macaca and is associated with immunodeficiency diseases. However, the zoonotic potential of this
agent has not been well defined. Screening for antibodies to SRV was
performed as part of an ongoing study looking for evidence of infection
with simian retroviruses among persons occupationally exposed to
nonhuman primates (NHPs). Of 231 persons tested, 2 (0.9%) were found
to be strongly seropositive, showing reactivity against multiple SRV
antigens representing gag, pol, and
env gene products by Western immunoblotting. Persistent
long-standing seropositivity, as well as neutralizing antibody specific
to SRV type 2, was documented in one individual (subject 1), while
waning antibody with eventual seroreversion was observed in a second
(subject 2). Repeated attempts to detect SRV by isolation in tissue
culture and by using sensitive PCR assays for amplification of two SRV
gene regions (gag and pol) were negative.
Both individuals remain apparently healthy. We were also unable to
transmit this seropositivity to an SRV-negative macaque by using
inoculation of whole blood from subject 1. The results of this study
provide evidence that occupational exposure to NHPs may increase the
risk of infection with SRV and underscore the importance of both
occupational safety practices and efforts to eliminate this virus from
established macaque colonies.
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.4.1783-1789.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Evidence of Infection with Simian Type D Retrovirus in Persons
Occupationally Exposed to Nonhuman Primates
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: California
Regional Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, One
Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8542. Phone: (530) 752-6490. Fax: (530) 752-2880. E-mail: nwlerche{at}ucdavis.edu.
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