Perinatal exposure of patas monkeys to antiretroviral nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors induces genotoxicity persistent for up to 3 years of age.

BACKGROUND: Erythrocebus patas (patas) monkeys were used to model antiretroviral (ARV) drug in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected pregnant women. METHODS: Pregnant patas dams were given human-equivalent doses of ARVs daily during 50% of gestation. Mesenchymal cells, cultured from bone marrow of patas offspring obtained at birth and at 1 and 3 years of age, were examined for genotoxicity, including centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes. RESULTS: Compared with controls, statistically significant increases (P < .05) in centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes were found in mesenchymal cells from most groups of offspring at the 3 time points. CONCLUSIONS: Transplacental nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor exposures induced fetal genotoxicity that was persistent for 3 years.

Simian varicella in old world monkeys.

Simian varicella virus (SVV) causes a natural erythematous disease in Old World monkeys and is responsible for simian varicella epizootics that occur sporadically in facilities housing nonhuman primates. This review summarizes the biology of SVV and simian varicella as a veterinary disease of nonhuman primates. SVV is closely related to varicella-zoster virus, the causative agent of human varicella and herpes zoster. Clinical signs of simian varicella include fever, vesicular skin rash, and hepatitis. Simian varicella may range from a mild infection to a severe and life-threatening disease, and epizootics may have high morbidity and mortality rates. SVV establishes a lifelong latent infection in neural ganglia of animals in which the primary disease resolves, and the virus may reactivate later in life to cause a secondary disease corresponding to herpes zoster. Prompt diagnosis is important for control and prevention of epizootics. Antiviral treatment for simian varicella may be effective if administered early in the course of infection.

[The mammals of Guinea as reservoirs and carriers of arboviruses].

A great body of data on the fauna and ecology of wild mammals and their participation in the circulation of arboviruses were collected when the ecology of the latter of the Republic of Guinea was studied in 1978 to 1989. A hundred and eighteen species belonging to 10 orders were identified. Over 2,000 biological specimens were virologically and serologically examined. Six arboviruses were isolated. These included Dugbe virus (from the hussar monkey Cercopithecus (Erythrocebus patas) and 5 viruses from chiropters: Rift valley fever, from Micropteropus pusillus, Miniopterus schreibersi, and Hipposideros caffer, Saboya, Fomede, and Ank 6909 from Nycteris gambiensis and Kolenter from Hipposideros sp. Fomede, Kolente, and Ank 6909 viruses turned out to be new species for science. Rodents were found to have viral antigens of Lass fever (Mastomys natalensis, Tatera valida kempi and Rattus rattus), Dugbe and Chikungunya fevers (M. natalensis) and West Nile fever (Mus sp.). A serological survey of mammals revealed that the latter had antibodies to 12 arboviruses. Thus, the mammals of Guinea participate in the circulation of 18 arboviruses, 13 of them are pathogenic for man.

Sequence analyses of human tumor-associated SV40 DNAs and SV40 viral isolates from monkeys and humans.

SV40 DNA has been found associated with several types of human tumors. We now report a sequence comparison of SV40 DNAs from pediatric brain tumors and from osteosarcomas with viral isolates from monkeys and from humans. We analyzed the entire genomic sequences of five isolates, Baylor and VA45-54 strains from monkeys and SVCPC, SVMEN, and SVPML-1 recovered from humans, and compared them to the reference virus SV40-776. The viral sequences were highly conserved, but isolates could be distinguished by variations in the structure of the viral regulatory region and in the nucleotide sequence of the variable domain at the C-terminus of the large T-antigen gene. We conclude that multiple strains of SV40 exist that can be identified on the basis of sequences in these regions of the viral genome. The isolates were more similar to each other and to the Baylor strain than to the reference strain SV40-776. Human isolates SVCPC and SVMEN were found to be identical. The DNAs present in some human brain and bone tumors were authentic SV40 sequences. Many of the C-terminal T-ag sequences associated with human tumors were unique, but some sequences were shared by independent sources. There was no compelling evidence for human-specific strains of SV40 or for tumor type-specific associations, suggesting that SV40 has a relatively broad host range. The source of the viral DNA found in human tumors remains unknown.

Isolation of simian immunodeficiency viruses from two sooty mangabeys in Côte d'Ivoire: virological and genetic characterization and relationship to other HIV type 2 and SIVsm/mac strains.

OBJECTIVE: To search for the presence of SIV in sooty mangabeys and other monkey species in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, and to compare viral isolates with HIV-2 strains from the same region. METHODS: Forty-three captive housed monkeys (28 African green monkeys, 6 sooty mangabeys, 6 baboons, and 6 patas monkeys) were tested for the presence of HIV and SIV antibodies. Virus was isolated from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of seropositive animals and from HIV-2 antibody-positive patients originating from Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, and Belgium. Viruses were characterized by Western blot and radioimmunoprecipitation assay. Proviral DNA was amplified by PCR, cloned, and sequenced to construct a phylogenetic tree. RESULTS: One African green monkey and three sooty mangabeys had antibodies that cross-reacted with HIV-2. From two mangabeys lentiviruses were isolated and designated as SIVsmCI2 and SIVsmCI8. Serological, virological, and sequence data showed that these isolates are members of the HIV-2/SIVsm/SIVmac group of primate lentiviruses. Furthermore, in the phylogenetic tree, these two new viruses form a distinct subgroup that is equidistant to the HIV-2 strains and the previously described SIVsm/SIVmac viruses. CONCLUSION: This study provides additional evidence that sooty mangabey monkeys can be infected with a lentivirus in their natural habitat. Within the SIVsm and SIVmac viruses extensive genetic variation is observed.