Wild Mandrillus sphinx Are Carriers of Two Types of Lentivirus

Abstract

Mandrillus sphinx, a large primate living in Cameroon and Gabon and belonging to the Papionini tribe, was reported to be infected by a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) (SIVmndGB1) as early as 1988. Here, we have identified a second, highly divergent SIVmnd (designated SIVmnd-2). Genomic organization differs between the two viral types; SIVmnd-2 has the additional vpx gene, like other SIVs naturally infecting the Papionini tribe (SIVsm and SIVrcm) and in contrast to the other SIVmnd type (here designated SIVmnd-1), which is more closely related to SIVs infecting l'hoest (Cercopithecus lhoesti lhoesti) and sun-tailed (Cercopithecus lhoesti solatus) monkeys. Importantly, our epidemiological studies indicate a high prevalence of both types of SIVmnd; all 10 sexually mature wild-living monkeys and 3 out of 17 wild-born juveniles tested were infected. The geographic distribution of SIVmnd seems to be distinct for the two types: SIVmnd-1 viruses were exclusively identified in mandrills from central and southern Gabon, whereas SIVmnd-2 viruses were identified in monkeys from northern and western Gabon, as well as in Cameroon. SIVmnd-2 full-length sequence analysis, together with analysis of partial sequences from SIVmnd-1 and SIVmnd-2 from wild-born or wild-living mandrills, shows that the gag and pol regions of SIVmnd-2 are closest to those of SIVrcm, isolated from red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), while the env gene is closest to that of SIVmnd-1. pol and env sequence analyses of SIV from a related Papionini species, the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), shows a closer relationship of SIVdrl to SIVmnd-2 than to SIVmnd-1. Epidemiological surveys of human immunodeficiency virus revealed a case in Cameroon of a human infected by a virus serologically related to SIVmnd, raising the possibility that mandrills represent a viral reservoir for humans similar to sooty mangabeys in Western Africa and chimpanzees in Central Africa.

Identification of a New Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Lineage with a vpu Gene Present among Different Cercopithecus Monkeys ( C. mona , C. cephus , and C. nictitans ) from Cameroon

“…The first mosaic SIV was SIVagmSAB, isolated from a West African sabaeus monkey. Also, the recently described full-length genome sequences of SIVrcm from red-capped mangabeys in Nigeria, SIVmnd2 and SIVdrl from mandrills and drills, and SIVgsn from greater spot-nosed monkeys in Cameroon showed that these SIVs present discordant phylogenies, depending on the region of their genomes studied (4,8,14,27).…”

Application of PCR Technologies to Humans, Animals, Plants and Pathogens from Central Africa

“…A substantial proportion of wild-living primates in Central Africa are naturally infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses (SIVs) [161,162,163], Simian T-cell Lymphotropic Viruses (STLVs) [164,165,166,167], Simian Foamy Viruses (SFV) [168] and also Hepatitis B Viruses (HBV) [169].…”

“…SIVs are lentiviruses that are found naturally in a great variety of nonhuman primates from Equatorial Africa, including but no restricted to chimpanzees (SIVcpz), mandrills, (SIVmnd-1 and SIVmnd-2), drills (SIVdrl), talapoin monkeys (SIVtal), sun tailed monkeys (SIVsun), African green monkeys (SIVagm), red-capped mangabeys (SIVrcm) (see [162,163,170] and [171] for review). The evolutionary origins of these related viruses have been studied by amplification of the gag, pol, and env genes, and by construction and analysis of evolutionary trees.…”

Évolution et virulence des lentivirus de primates

“…En effet, certains de ces virus ne peuvent pas être classés parmi les six groupes précé-demment définis, car ils possèdent des génomes hybrides ou mosaïques, signes de recombinaison entre souches de différentes lignées ; c'est le cas, entre autres, du SIVmnd-2 des mandrills et du SIVgsn des singes hocheurs [4,5]. Pour expliquer ces données génétiques, deux modes principaux d'évolution, avec ou sans transfert interespèces, peuvent être proposés.…”

“…Ils sont classés en six lignées phylogénétiques distinctes [3] (Figure 1); cependant, la caractérisation d'un nombre de plus en plus important de virus diffé-rents a souligné que les relations phylogénétiques entre ces lentivirus de primates ne peuvent être interprétées de manière simple. En effet, certains de ces virus ne peuvent pas être classés parmi les six groupes précé-demment définis, car ils possèdent des génomes hybrides ou mosaïques, signes de recombinaison entre souches de différentes lignées ; c'est le cas, entre autres, du SIVmnd-2 des mandrills et du SIVgsn des singes hocheurs [4,5]. Pour expliquer ces données génétiques, deux modes principaux d'évolution, avec ou sans transfert interespèces, peuvent être proposés.…”