Novel simian homologues of Epstein-Barr virus.
Thirty different lymphocryptoviruses (LCV), 26 of them novel, were detected in primates by a panherpesvirus PCR assay. Nineteen LCV from chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and other Old World primates were closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the type species of the genus lymphocryptovirus. Seven LCV originating from New World primates were related to callitrichine herpesvirus 3 (CalHV-3), the first recognized New World LCV. Importantly, a second LCV from gorillas and three LCV from orangutans and gibbons were only distantly related to EBV and CalHV-3. They were tentatively assigned to a novel genogroup of Old World primate LCV. The work described in the paper may also help identify an as yet unknown human LCV.
Ehlers
Bernhard
B
Robert Koch-Institut, D-13353, Germany. ehlersb@rki.de
Ochs
Andreas
A
Leendertz
Fabian
F
Goltz
Michael
M
Boesch
Christophe
C
Mätz-Rensing
Kerstin
K
D000818:Animals; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018143:Lymphocryptovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011323:Primates / Q000821:virology*