Effects of simian betaretrovirus serotype 1 (SRV1) infection on the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34+) derived from bone marrow of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Peripheral blood cytopenias, particularly persistent anemia and neutropenia, are commonly associated with simian betaretrovirus infection of Asian monkeys of the genus Macaca. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying these hematologic abnormalities are not well understood. The current study investigated the in vitro tropism of simian betaretrovirus (SRV) for both hematopoietic progenitor (CD34(+)) and stromal cells obtained from rhesus macaque bone marrow and assessed the effects of infection on hematopoietic progenitor cell differentiation in vitro.

Longitudinal patterns of viremia and oral shedding of rhesus rhadinovirus and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesviruses in age-structured captive breeding populations of rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus (RFHV), 2 closely related γ2 herpesviruses, are endemic in breeding populations of rhesus macaques at our institution. We previously reported significantly different prevalence levels, suggesting the transmission dynamics of RRV and RFHV differ with regard to viral shedding and infectivity. We designed a longitudinal study to further examine the previously observed differences between RRV and RFHV prevalence and the potential influence of age, season, and housing location on the same 90 rhesus macaques previously studied.

Prevalence of viremia and oral shedding of rhesus rhadinovirus and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus in large age-structured breeding groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

We performed a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of 2 gamma-2-herpesviruses, rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus (RFHV), in breeding colonies of rhesus macaques. Of 90 animals selected for sampling, 73 (81%) were positive for RRV, which was detected only in blood in 22 (24%), only in saliva in 15 (16%), and in both blood and saliva in 36 (40%). Detection of RRV DNA in blood and saliva was significantly higher in animals younger than 2 y.

Development of a generic real-time PCR assay for simultaneous detection of proviral DNA of simian Betaretrovirus serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and secondary uniplex assays for specific serotype identification.

Simian betaretroviruses (formerly Type D retroviruses; SRV) are a group of closely related retroviruses for which the natural host species are Asian monkeys of the genus Macaca. Five serotypes have been identified by classical neutralization assays and three additional untyped variants have been reported (SRV(Tsukuba), SRV-6, SRV-7). These viruses may be significant pathogens in macaque colonies, causing a broad spectrum of clinical disease secondary to viral-induced immune suppression.