Fatal herpesvirus infection in patas monkeys and a black and white colobus monkey

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Primate Pathology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Herpesvirus infections can cause severe disease in non-human primates.
• Herpesvirus simiae (H. simiae) is a known pathogen in rhesus monkeys, which can be fatal in other primate species.
• Close housing of different primate species increases the risk of pathogen transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of fatal herpesvirus infections in patas and colobus monkeys.
• To characterize the isolated herpesviruses and determine their antigenic relationship to known simian herpesviruses.
• To assess the potential role of co-housed rhesus monkeys as a source of infection.

Main Methods:

• Necropsy and histopathological examination of affected monkeys.
• Herpesvirus isolation and cell culture.
• Viral growth characteristic analysis.
• Antigenic characterization of viral isolates using specific antisera.

Main Results:

• Fatal herpesvirus infections were diagnosed in three patas monkeys and one black and white colobus monkey within a four-week period.
• Herpesvirus was successfully isolated from one patas monkey and the colobus monkey.
• Both isolates exhibited growth characteristics similar to Herpesvirus hominis and H. simiae.
• The colobus monkey isolate was antigenically identified as H. simiae or H. simiae-like.
• The patas monkey isolate could not be definitively identified with the available antisera.
• All affected animals were housed in close proximity to rhesus monkeys, known carriers of H. simiae.

Conclusions:

• Herpesvirus simiae (H. simiae) or a similar virus may have caused fatal infections in patas and colobus monkeys.
• The close proximity to rhesus monkeys, the natural reservoir for H. simiae, suggests a potential transmission route.
• Further investigation is needed to definitively identify the herpesvirus isolate from the patas monkey and confirm the transmission dynamics.