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A Noninvasive Approach to Detect SIVcpz Infection in Wild Chimpanzees M. SANTIAGO1, C. RODENBURG1, O. MAMAEVA1, K. KILBY1, Z. MOLDOVEANU1, B. FAHEY2, M. MULLER2, G. SHAW1, H. MCCLURE3, J. HEENEY4, C. BOESH5, R. WRANGHAM2, B. HAHN*1, and F. GAO1. 1Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham; 2Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA; 3Yerkes Regional Primate Res. Ctr., Atlanta, GA; 4Biomed. Primate Res. Ctr., Rijswijk, The Netherlands; 5Max-Planck Inst. for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany HIV-1/AIDS resulted from zoonotic transmissions of SIVcpz from naturally infected chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). Although three such transfers have been documented, the prevalence of SIVcpz infection in wild chimpanzees remains unknown. To develop a non-invasive approach suitable for screening these endangered animals in their natural habitat, we examined fecal and urine samples from HIV-1 and SIVcpz infected chimpanzees for the presence of antibodies and virion RNA. Using an ultrasensitive Western blot approach, we detected antibodies in 13/42 and 3/6 fecal samples from 15 HIV-1 and 2 SIVcpz infected chimpanzees, respectively, but in none of 50 fecal samples from 23 uninfected animals (33% sensitivity; 100% specificity). Similarly, we detected antibodies in 16/17 and 5/6 urine samples from 9 HIV-1 and 2 SIVcpz infected chimpanzees, respectively, but in none of 13 urine samples from 7 uninfected animals (91% sensitivity; 100% specificity). Viral RNA (–450 bp env fragment) was amplified by RT-PCR (and sequence confirmed) from 5/12 fecal and 1/6 urine samples from the two SIVcpz-infected chimpanzees, but was only rarely detected in fecal and urine samples from experimentally (HIV-1) infected chimpanzees, possibly reflecting a lower viral load. Antibodies and viral RNA were stable in urine and fecal samples for up to 8 days at room temperature and were unaffected by repeated freezing/thawing. This noninvasive approach thus identifies 30% (if only fecal samples are available) to >90% (if fecal and urine samples are available) of infected chimpanzees, and can be used to obtain sequence information for viruses circulating in the wild. We are currently examining urine and fecal samples collected from two communities of wild chimpanzees in west and east Africa. Results from these studies will be discussed. Key Words: diagnosis of SIVcpz infection, SIVcpz prevalence, zoonosis |
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© 7th
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, |