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Sensitive Assays for Simian Foamy Viruses Reveal a High Prevalence of Infection in Commensal, Free-Ranging Asian Monkeys

Lisa Jones-Engel,¹ Katherine A. Steinkraus,^2, Shannon M. Murray,^2,3 Gregory A. Engel,^1,4 Richard Grant,^1, Nantiya Aggimarangsee,⁵ Benjamin P. Y.-H. Lee,⁶ Cynthia May,² Michael A. Schillaci,⁷ Chaleamchat Somgird,⁸ Tulyawat Sutthipat,⁸ Lucia Vojtech,⁹ JianYuan Zhao,^10,11 and Maxine L. Linial^2,3,9*

Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,¹ Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington,² Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,³ Swedish/Providence Family Medicine, Swedish Hospital, Seattle, Washington,⁴ Department of Biology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand,⁵ Central Nature Reserve, Conservation Division, National Parks Board, Singapore,⁶ Department of Social Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Toronto, Canada,⁷ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand,⁸ Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,⁹ Anhui Institute of Sport Science and Technology, Hefei 230001, China,¹⁰ Anhui Key Laboratory of Ecological Engineering and Biotechnology, Hefei 230039, China,¹¹

Received 15 February 2007/ Accepted 25 April 2007

Foamy viruses (FV) are retroviruses that naturally infect many hosts, including most nonhuman primates (NHPs). Zoonotic infection by primate FV has been documented in people in Asia who reported contact with free-ranging macaques. FV transmission in Asia is a concern, given abundant human-NHP contact, particularly at monkey temples and in urban settings. We have developed three assays capable of detecting the presence of FV in Asian NHP species that are commensal with humans: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot assays using recombinant viral Gag protein, and an indicator cell line that can detect macaque FV. The recombinant ELISA correlates very well with the presence of FV sequences detected by PCR. We have used these assays to demonstrate both that FV is highly prevalent among free-ranging NHPs and that seroconversion occurs at a young age in these animals. These assays should also prove useful for large-scale analysis of the prevalence of FV infections in human populations in Asia that are commensal with free-ranging NHPs.

Published ahead of print on 2 May 2007.

Present address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.

Present address: SNBL USA Ltd., Everett, WA.

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