Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://7thspace.com/headlines/42749...en_from_the_democratic_republic_of_congo.html
Novel simian foamy virus infections from multiple monkey species in women from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Zoonotic transmission of simian retroviruses in Central Africa is ongoing and can result in pandemic human infection. While simian foamy virus (SFV) infection was reported in primate hunters in Cameroon and Gabon, little is known about the distribution of SFV in Africa and whether human-to-human transmission and disease occur...
...Conclusions: Our study documents SFV infection in rural DRC for the first time and identifies infections with novel SFV variants from Colobus and red-tailed monkeys.
Unlike previous studies, women were not at lower risk for SFV infection in our population, providing opportunities for spread of SFV both horizontally and vertically. However, limited testing of close contacts of WB-positive persons did not identify human-to-human transmission.
Combined with the broad behavioral risk and distribution of NHPs across DRC, our results suggest that SFV infection may have a wider geographic distribution within DRC. These results also reinforce the potential for an increased SFV prevalence throughout the forested regions of Africa where humans and simians co-exist.
Our finding of endemic foci of SFV infection in DRC will facilitate longitudinal studies to determine the potential for person-to-person transmissibility and pathogenicity of these zoonotic retroviral infections.
Author: William M SwitzerShaohua TangSteve Ahuka-MundekeAnupama ShankarDebra L HansonHaoQiang ZhengAhidjo AyoubaNathan D WolfeMatthew LeBretonCyrille F DjokoUbald TamoufeAmandine EstebanWalid HeneineMartine PeetersLinda L WrightJean Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum
Published on: 2012-12-05
Novel simian foamy virus infections from multiple monkey species in women from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Zoonotic transmission of simian retroviruses in Central Africa is ongoing and can result in pandemic human infection. While simian foamy virus (SFV) infection was reported in primate hunters in Cameroon and Gabon, little is known about the distribution of SFV in Africa and whether human-to-human transmission and disease occur...
...Conclusions: Our study documents SFV infection in rural DRC for the first time and identifies infections with novel SFV variants from Colobus and red-tailed monkeys.
Unlike previous studies, women were not at lower risk for SFV infection in our population, providing opportunities for spread of SFV both horizontally and vertically. However, limited testing of close contacts of WB-positive persons did not identify human-to-human transmission.
Combined with the broad behavioral risk and distribution of NHPs across DRC, our results suggest that SFV infection may have a wider geographic distribution within DRC. These results also reinforce the potential for an increased SFV prevalence throughout the forested regions of Africa where humans and simians co-exist.
Our finding of endemic foci of SFV infection in DRC will facilitate longitudinal studies to determine the potential for person-to-person transmissibility and pathogenicity of these zoonotic retroviral infections.
Author: William M SwitzerShaohua TangSteve Ahuka-MundekeAnupama ShankarDebra L HansonHaoQiang ZhengAhidjo AyoubaNathan D WolfeMatthew LeBretonCyrille F DjokoUbald TamoufeAmandine EstebanWalid HeneineMartine PeetersLinda L WrightJean Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum
Published on: 2012-12-05