Ape hunters pick up new viruses in Africa

BBC News:

Two new viruses from the same family as HIV have been discovered in central Africans who hunt nonhuman primates.

Researchers say their work proves it is not unusual for potentially dangerous viruses to jump from primates to man.

They say it is important to monitor disease in bushmeat hunters closely, as any virus they contract from animals may spread to the community at large.

The study, led by the US Johns Hopkins University, is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The new viruses identified in the latest study come from a group known as the retroviruses, which are known to cause serious illnesses in humans.

They have been named Human T-lymphotropic Virus types 3 and 4 (HTLV-3 and HTLV-4).

Humans have previously been infected by HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. In most cases, infection does not produce symptoms, but it can trigger neurological problems, and even leukaemia.

Lead researcher Dr Nathan Wolfe said: "The emergence of HIV from primate origins has cost millions of lives.

"The discoveries of HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 show that, far from being rare events, retroviruses are actively crossing into human populations."

The research team collected and examined blood samples from more than 900 people living throughout Cameroon.

All the individuals studied reported some exposure to blood and body fluids of nonhuman primates, contact mostly due to hunting and butchering of bushmeat, and in some cases to keeping primates as pets.

Analysis of the blood samples showed that various simian (ape) viruses had infected the participants.

The two previously unknown viruses were found in two bushmeat hunters.

HTLV-3 is similar to a simian virus called STLV-3, and was most likely contracted through direct contact with a primate during hunting.

HTLV-4 does not have a known primate counterpart, making its origin less clear. The researchers believe it could have arisen through cross-species transmission from an animal carrying an unknown form of STLV.

The same team discovered another primate retrovirus - the simian foamy virus (SFV) - in bushmeat hunters last year.

Unfortunately, these viruses can then be passed around the world through human migrations.

Monkeys infect bushmeat hunters

Two new retroviruses among central Africans who hunt nonhuman primates