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Nonhuman primates harbor human-specific astroviruses
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Recent data suggested that several species of nonhuman primates can carry mammalian and avian astrovirus genotypes, some of which were previously thought to infect humans exclusively.
“Several studies demonstrated that a single host species may be susceptible to divergent [astrovirus (AstV)] genotypes including pigs, bats, California sea lions, sheep, mink, turkeys and humans, which can be infected with strains genetically related to animal AstVs,” the researchers wrote. “However, identification of mammals with AstV viruses associated with human infections has never been documented until now.”
Figure 1. Near the border of Cambodia, University of Washington researcher Lisa Jones-Engel, PhD, holds an Asian rhesus macaque.
Source: Lynn Johnson
Researchers collected stool samples from Bangladeshi nonhuman primate (NHP) populations from 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 (n = 844), as well as from Cambodian populations during the latter time period (n = 68). RNA from these samples were isolated and subsequently screened using a pan-astrovirus reverse transcription-PCR to detect and sequence the AstV viruses. In addition, NHP sera were collected from 2011-2012 (n = 138) and tested for antibodies to specific AstVs by ELISA. With these results, the researchers conducted a phylogenetic analysis to determine the evolutionary relationships between these AstVs and those commonly found in other mammals.
The researchers observed multiple diverse AstVs genotypes in the fecal samples, as well as AstV-specific antibodies in plasma. Both diagnostic methods found evidence of mammalian AstV genotypes only associated with human infection, and serologic analyses confirmed that more than 25% of tested NHP had antibodies to human AstVs, indicating past infection. None of the NHP sampled appeared to have clinical symptoms of the disease during sampling, which could be an area of future study, according to the researchers. Multiple tests for potential AstV recombination were positive, and phylogenetic analysis suggested the NHP AstVs sequences were distributed throughout the Astroviridae family and were only somewhat related to AstVs detected in bats.
“A myriad of [Mamastrovirus] and [Avastrovirus] genotypes can be detected in NHP,” the researchers wrote. “This further dispels the dogma that astroviruses are species-specific, and raises important questions about the role of NHP in astrovirus ecology, particularly those NHP thriving at the human-primate interface.” – by Dave Muoio
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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