title: Detection of chimpanzee polyomavirus-specific antibodies in captive and wild-caught chimpanzees using yeast-expressed virus-like particles.
abstract: Chimpanzee polyomavirus (ChPyV) was originally detected in the faeces of a captive chimpanzee by random screening using broad-spectrum PCR. Its pathogenicity and the distribution among chimpanzees are unknown so far. Here, the major capsid protein VP1 of ChPyV was expressed in yeast cells. Virus-like particles (VLPs) with a diameter of approximately 45nm were demonstrated although the efficiency of VLP formation was low as compared to monkey polyomavirus SV40-VLPs. The ChPyV-VLP preparation did not agglutinate human erythrocytes. Low cross-reactions between ChPyV- and SV40-VLP-specific sera were detected by immunoblotting, but not by ELISA. Testing of 163 sera derived from captive and wild-caught healthy chimpanzees using an ELISA based on the ChPyV-VLPs resulted in 11.7% positive results, ranging from 0% to 56% in different groups. The VLPs may be used in future to assess the distribution of ChPyV infections among other animal species and humans.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zielonka
authors.forename: Ernst J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Verschoor
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gedvilaite
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Roesler
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Reimar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Johne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D018420:Ape Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000276:immunology*; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins