The natural history of non-human GB virus C in captive chimpanzees.
GB virus C (GBV-C) is a common, non-pathogenic human virus that infects lymphocytes. Persistent GBV-C infection of humans with coexistent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with prolonged survival, and GBV-C replication inhibits HIV replication in vitro. A GBV-C virus variant was identified in chimpanzees in 1998 and was named GBV-C(trog) or GBV-C(cpz). The prevalence and natural history of GBV-C in chimpanzees remains uncharacterized. We examined the sera from 235 captive chimpanzees for the presence of GBV-C viraemia, viral persistence and clearance, E2 antibody kinetics and RNA sequence diversity. Sequences from six isolates shared more sequence identity with GBV-C(cpz) than with human GBV-C. The prevalence of GBV-C(cpz) viraemia and E2 antibody in chimpanzees (2.5 and 11 %, respectively) was similar to human GBV-C prevalence in healthy human blood donors (1.8 and 9 %, respectively). Persistent GBV-C(cpz) infection occurred in two of the six viraemic animals and was documented for 19 years in one animal. Host subspecies troglodyte GBV-C isolates and published verus GBV-C isolates shared a high degree of sequence identity, suggesting that GBV-C in chimpanzees should be identified with a chimpanzee designation (GBV-C(cpz)). The prevalence and natural history of chimpanzee GBV-C variant (GBV-C(cpz)) appears to be similar to human GBV-C infection. The chimpanzee could serve as an animal model to study HIV-GBV-C co-infection.
Mohr
Emma L
EL
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Murthy
Krishna K
KK
McLinden
James H
JH
Xiang
Jinhua
J
Stapleton
Jack T
JT
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D029407:GB virus C / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D015995:Prevalence; D018419:Primate Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral