Simian foamy virus
| Simian foamy virus | |
|---|---|
| Virus classification | |
| Group: | Group VI (ssRNA-RT) |
| Family: | Retroviridae |
| Subfamily: | Spumaretrovirinae |
| Genus: | Spumavirus |
| Species: | Simian foamy virus |
The simian foamy virus (SFV) is a spumavirus closely related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Its discovery in primates has led to some speculation that HIV may have been spread to the human species in Africa through contact with blood from apes, monkeys, and through hunting bushmeat.
About 70-90% of non-human primates born in captivity have SFV. Animals with SFV do not display symptoms or become ill. However, recent research suggests that some primates that contract SFV would become pre-disposed to other viruses. People who have had contact with non-human primates can become infected with SFV.[1]
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[edit] Description
Although the simian foamy virus is endemic in African apes and monkeys, there is not enough evidence that it causes any harm to the population. Its ability to cross over to humans was proven in 2004 by a joint United States and Cameroonian team which found the retrovirus in gorillas, mandrills and guenons; unexpectedly they also found it in 10 of 1,100 local Cameroon residents. Of those found infected the majority are males who had been bitten by a non-human primate.
While this only accounts for 1% of the population, this detail is alarming to some groups[who?] that fear the outbreak of another AIDS-like epidemic.
SFV causes cells to fuse with each other to form so called syncytia, or more figurative, "giant cells" and look, on a slide, like foamy bubbles, hence its name. It has been tentatively linked to several diseases but without any real evidence.
[edit] Co-speciation of SFV and Primates
The phylogenetic tree analysis of SFV polymerase and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII has been shown as a powerful marker used for primate phylogeny) from African and Asian monkeys and apes provides very similar branching order and divergence times among the two trees, supporting the co-speciation. Also, it was found that the substitution rate in the SFV gene is extremely slow i.e the SFV has evolved at a very low rate (1.7 X 10−8 substitutions per site per year). These results suggest that SFV has been co-speciated with Old World primates for about 30 million years, making them the oldest known vertebrate RNA viruses.[2]
The SFV sequence examination of species and sub species within each clade of the phylogenetic tree of the primates indicated co-speciation of SFV and the primate hosts as well. There was a strong linear relationship between the branch lengths for the host and SFV gene trees which indicated synchronous genetic divergence in both data sets.[2]
By using the molecular clock, it was observed that the substitution rates for the host and SFV genes were very similar. The substitution rates for host COII gene and the SFV gene were found out to be (1.16 ± 0.35) X 10−8 and (1.7 ± 0.45) X 10−8 respectively. This is the slowest rate of substitution observed for RNA viruses and is closer to that of DNA viruses and endogenous retroviruses. This rate is quite different from that of exogenous RNA viruses such as HIV and influenza A virus (10−3 to 10−4 substitutions per site per year).[2]
[edit] Prevalence
Researchers in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Gabon, Germany, Japan, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, and the United States have found that simian foamy virus (SFV) is widespread among wild chimpanzees throughout equatorial Africa. Details are published July 4 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Recent studies have shown that humans who hunt wild primates, including chimpanzees, can acquire SFV infections.[1][3] Since the long-term consequences of these cross-species infections are not known, it is important to determine to what extent wild primates are infected with simian foamy viruses. In this study, researchers tested this question for wild chimpanzees by using novel non-invasive methods. Analyzing over 700 fecal samples from 25 chimpanzee communities across sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers obtained viral sequences from a large proportion of these communities, showing a range of infection rates from 44% to 100%.
Major disease outbreaks have originated from cross-species transmission of infectious agents between primates and humans, making it important to learn more about how these cross-species transfers occur. The high SFV infection rates of chimpanzees provide an opportunity to monitor where humans are exposed to these viruses. Identifying the locations may help determine where the highest rates of human–chimpanzee interactions occur. This may predict what other pathogens may jump the species barrier next.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wolfe ND, Switzer WM, Carr JK, et al (March 2004). "Naturally acquired simian retrovirus infections in central African hunters". Lancet 363 (9413): 932–7. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15787-5. PMID 15043960.
- ^ a b c Switzer WM, Salemi M, Shanmugam V, et al (March 2005). "Ancient co-speciation of simian foamy viruses and primates". Nature 434 (7031): 376–80. doi:10.1038/nature03341. PMID 15772660.
- ^ Switzer WM, Bhullar V, Shanmugam V, et al (March 2004). "Frequent simian foamy virus infection in persons occupationally exposed to nonhuman primates". J. Virol. 78 (6): 2780–9. doi:10.1128/JVI.78.6.2780-2789.2004. PMC 353775. PMID 14990698. http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=14990698.
[edit] External links
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- U.S. FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee Meeting, December 13-December 14, 2001
- MeSH Simian+foamy+virus
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