Primate retrovirus jumps species barrier, infecting human, for first time in Asia
By John Gever
HIV is thought to have originally been a simian virus that acquired the ability, and the opportunity, to infect humans, but exactly how isn't completely known. Now, scientists have witnessed another primate retrovirus make the jump. It may help researchers understand the process better, but it's also a warning against the dangers of frequent close contact between wild simians and humans, especially in Asia.
The virus is simian foamy virus (SFV), which infects macaques and other small primates in Asia. A recent paper in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases says that a human contracted the virus at a "monkey temple" on the Indonesian island of Bali. It's the first report of a simian virus breaching the species barrier in Asia. The paper appeared in the journal's July issue (vol. 11, p.1028-35).
It's not clear whether SFV poses a threat to humans. The man found to have been infected wasn't ill -- he was identified in the course of a research study on monkey temple workers in Bali, on the basis of having anti-SFV antibodies in his blood. Other human cases of SFV infection have been found in zoos, primate laboratories and in Central Africa where hunting and consumption of "bushmeat" -- monkey and ape flesh -- is common. Those cases also have not been associated with significant illness, so far anyway.
The researchers, mainly from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) and the Southwest Foundation for Medical Research (San Antonio, TX), wanted to know whether the Indonesian monkey temples may foster virus transmission from simians to humans. Such temples encourage primates (both simian and human) to congregate and intermingle for spiritual purposes, and are common across southern Asia. Thus, they provide ideal conditions to promote interspecies virus transmission. Moreover, because the temples are international tourist destinations, they may also promote global spread of any viruses that do cross over into humans.
In their scientific paper, the research team calls for more investigation into the many contexts where people and simians come into contact. These include pet ownership and animal markets. They cite regulations in Singapore that restrict such contacts as probably wise from a global public health standpoint.