Detection and prevalence of adenoviruses from free-ranging black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra)

Adenoviruses are important pathogens known to infect vertebrate hosts, including a wide range of primates. Despite its importance, data on the diversity of these viruses in non-human primates living in their natural habitat remain scarce. In this study, we conducted a surveillance of adenoviral infection in wild black howler monkeys from two protected natural areas in Mexico. This was achieved by analyzing 67 fecal samples using a nested PCR that targets the adenovirus DNA polymerase gene. Adenoviral DNA was detected in 12 samples from both study sites, with an overall prevalence of 17.9%. The amplified DNA sequences shared 100% nucleotide identity and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the haplotype detected was novel, and clustered with Platyrrhini mastadenovirus A, which was previously described in captive New World monkeys. Our data, along with the previous evidence, confirm that monkeys native to the Americas are the original hosts of these adenoviruses.