title: Full-length sequence analysis of SIVmus in wild populations of mustached monkeys (Cercopithecus cephus) from Cameroon provides evidence for two co-circulating SIVmus lineages.
abstract: Mustached monkeys (Cercopithecus cephus), which form a significant component of primate bushmeat in west central Africa, are infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmus). We identified and genetically characterized five new SIVmus strains infecting wild living mustached monkeys from Cameroon. Phylogenetic analysis of partial pol sequences revealed that SIVmus strains form two distinct groups within the clade comprised of lentiviruses isolated from Cercopithecus nictitans (SIVgsn), Cercopithecus mona (SIVmon) and C. cephus (SIVmus). Characterisation of three full-length SIVmus genomes confirmed the presence of two distinct lineages infecting mustached monkeys. These two variants of SIVmus, here designated SIVmus-1 and SIVmus-2, were isolated from animals sharing habitats within the same geographic region. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the diversification of SIVmus, SIVgsn and SIVmon involved inter-lineage recombination, and suggested that one of the SIVmus lineages likely resulted from cross-species transmission and recombination involving SIVmus and an as yet uncharacterized SIV. These results indicate that cross-species transmission and recombination play a major role in the evolution of primate lentiviruses among sympatric primate species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Retrovirus, UMR 145, IRD and the Department of International Health, University of Montpellier I, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Avelin F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Aghokeng
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bailes
authors.forename: Severin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loul
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Courgnaud
authors.forename: Eitel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mpoudi-Ngolle
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delaporte
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peeters
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002163:Cameroon; D002521:Cercopithecus / Q000821:virology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015751:Genes, pol; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000821:virology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral