Molecular Detection and Genetic Diversity of Cytomegaloviruses and Lymphocryptoviruses in Free-Roaming and Captive African Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus).

To date, limited information is available on cytomegalovirus (CMV) and lymphocryptovirus (LCV) from Chlorocebus monkeys. We report here high detection rates of herpesviruses in free-roaming African green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus sabaeus) (26.4%, 23/87) and in captive AGMs (75%, 3/4) with respiratory disease on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. LCV (81.25%) was more prevalent than CMV (18.75%) in the AGMs. Applying a bigenic PCR approach (targeting DNA polymerase (DPOL) and glycoprotein B (gB) genes), long sequences were obtained from representative AGM CMV (KNA-SD6) and LCV (KNA-E4, -N6 and -R15) samples, and mixed LCV infections were identified in KNA-N6 and -R15. The nucleotide (nt) sequence (partial DPOL-intergenic region-partial gB) and partial DPOL- and gB-amino acid (aa) sequences of AGM CMV KNA-SD6 were closely related to Cytomegalovirus cercopithecinebeta5 isolates from grivet monkeys, whilst those of AGM LCV KNA-E4 and -N6 (and E4-like gB of KNA-R15) were more closely related to cognate sequences of erythrocebus patas LCV1 from patas monkey than other LCVs, corroborating the concept of cospeciation in the evolution of CMV/LCV. On the other hand, the partial DPOL aa sequence of KNA-R15, and additional gB sequences (N6-gB-2 and R15-gB-2) from samples KNA-N6 and -R15 (respectively) appeared to be distinct from those of Old World monkey LCVs, indicating LCV evolutionary patterns that were not synchronous with those of host species. The present study is the first to report the molecular prevalence and genetic diversity of CMV/LCV from free-roaming/wild and captive AGMs, and is the first report on analysis of CMV nt/deduced aa sequences from AGMs and LCV gB sequences from Chlorocebus monkeys.

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Adenoviruses in Captive and Free-Roaming African Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus): Evidence for Possible Recombination and Cross-Species Transmission.

In the present study, 31 samples (12 fecal, 9 nasal and 10 rectal swabs) from 28/92 (30.43%, 10 captive and 18 free-roaming African green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus sabaeus)) apparently healthy AGMs in the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts tested positive for adenoviruses (AdVs) by DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (pol)-, or hexon-based screening PCR assays. Based on analysis of partial deduced amino acid sequences of Pol- and hexon- of nine AGM AdVs, at least two AdV genetic variants (group-I: seven AdVs with a Simian mastadenovirus-F (SAdV-F)/SAdV-18-like Pol and hexon, and group-II: two AdVs with a SAdV-F/SAdV-18-like Pol and a Human mastadenovirus-F (HAdV-F)/HAdV-40-like hexon) were identified, which was corroborated by analysis of the nearly complete putative Pol, complete hexon, and partial penton base sequences of a representative group-I (strain KNA-08975), and -II (KNA-S6) AdV. SAdV-F-like AdVs were reported for the first time in free-roaming non-human primates (NHPs) and after ~six decades from captive NHPs. Molecular characterization of KNA-S6 (and the other group-II AdV) indicated possible recombination and cross-species transmission events involving SAdV-F-like and HAdV-F-like viruses, corroborating the hypothesis that the evolutionary pathways of HAdVs and SAdVs are intermingled, complicated by recombination and inter-species transmission events, especially between related AdV species, such as HAdV-F and SAdV-F. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection and molecular characterization of AdVs in AGMs.

First Report on Detection and Complete Genomic Analysis of a Novel CRESS DNA Virus from Sea Turtles.

To date, only a handful of viruses have been identified in sea turtles. Although eukaryotic circular Rep (replication initiation protein)-encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS DNA) viruses have been reported from a wide variety of terrestrial species, and some of these viruses have been associated with clinical conditions in certain animals, limited information is available on CRESS DNA viruses from marine life. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of CRESS DNA viruses in sea turtles. In the present study, two (samples T3 and T33) of the 34 cloacal samples from 31 sea turtles (found in ocean waters around the Caribbean Islands of St. Kitts and Nevis) tested positive for CRESS DNA viruses by a pan-rep nested PCR assay. The partial Rep sequence of T3 shared 75.78% of a deduced amino acid (aa) identity with that of a CRESS DNA virus (classified under family Circoviridae) from a mollusk. On the other hand, the complete genome (2428 bp) of T33 was determined by an inverse nested PCR assay. The genomic organization of T33 mirrored those of type II CRESS DNA viral genomes of cycloviruses, characterized by the putative "origin of replication" in the 5'-intergenic region, and the putative Capsid (Cap)- and Rep-encoding open reading frame on the virion-sense- and antisense-strand, respectively. The putative Rep (322 aa) of T33 retained the conserved "HUH endonuclease" and the "super 3 family helicase" domains and shared pairwise aa identities of ~57% with unclassified CRESS DNA viruses from benthic sediment and mollusks. Phylogenetically, the T33 Rep formed a distinct branch within an isolated cluster of unclassified CRESS DNA viruses. The putative Cap (370 aa) of T33 shared maximum pairwise aa identity of 30.51% with an unclassified CRESS DNA virus from a capybara. Except for a blood sample from T33 that tested negative for CRESS DNA viruses, other tissue samples were not available from the sea turtles. Therefore, we could not establish whether the T3 and T33 viral strains infected the sea turtles or were of dietary origin. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection of CRESS DNA viruses from sea turtles, adding yet another animal species to the rapidly expanding host range of these viruses. Complete genome analysis of T33 identified a novel, unclassified CRESS DNA virus, providing insights into the high genetic diversity between viruses within the phylum Cressdnaviricota. Considering that sea turtles are an at-risk species, extensive studies on virus discovery, surveillance, and pathogenesis in these marine animals are of the utmost importance.