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Journal of Virology, July 2003, p. 8159-8165, Vol. 77, No. 14
0022-538X/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.77.14.8159-8165.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Novel Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Homolog in Baboons

Viral Epidemiology Section, AIDS Vaccine Program, SAIC-Frederick, National Cancer Institute—Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702,¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology,² Department of Laboratory Animal Science, The University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104,⁵ Northwest Hospital, Seattle, Washington,³ Departments of Microbiology and Internal Medicine, University of Virginia Health Systems, Charlottesville, Virginia,⁴ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas⁶

Received 10 January 2003/ Accepted 21 April 2003

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and lymphoproliferative diseases induced by KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/human herpesvirus 8) cause substantial morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals. To understand KSHV biology it is useful to investigate closely related rhadinoviruses naturally occurring in nonhuman primates. Here we report evidence for a novel KSHV homolog in captive baboon species (Papio anubis and other). Using degenerate PCR we identified a novel rhadinovirus, PapRV2, that has substantial sequence identity to two essential KSHV genes, the viral polymerase and thymidylate synthase. A subset of animals exhibited detectable PapRV2 viral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Extensive serological analysis of nearly 200 animals in the colony demonstrated that the majority carried cross-reacting antibodies that recognize KSHV or macaque rhadinovirus antigens. Seroreactivity increased with age, similar to the age-specific prevalence of KSHV in the human population. This establishes baboons as a novel resource to investigate rhadinovirus biology, which can be developed into an animal model system for KSHV-associated human diseases, vaccine development, and therapy evaluation.

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