Exposure to SIVmnd-2 in Southern Cameroon: Public Health Implications
Nicaise Ndembi 1, Lazare Kaptue 1, Eiji Ido 1
1 NULL
*Correspondence: Eiji Ido, Email not available
Abstract
Compelling evidence appeared in 2002 of human exposure to a plethora of primate lentivirusesthrough hunting, handling of bushmeat, and/or animals kept as pets in Cameroon. To determine SIVprevalence in pet animals, an analysis of 28 sera of nonhuman primates found no SIV infectionin greater spot-nosed monkeys (0/5) or chimpanzees (0/10), and a prevalence rate of 23.1% (3/13) inmandrills kept as household pets in southern Cameroon. Phylogenetical analysis based on pol-integraseregion and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene showed that the newly found SIV from Mandrillussphinx (SIVmndCM-202, SIVmndCM-211, and SIVmndCM-218) clustered significantly with SIVmnd-2.Questionnaire data were also collected to assess whether owners had experienced bites, scratches, orexposure to blood and/or body fluid. Risk to human health from cross-species transmission of thenewly identified SIVmnd-2 to infect humans remains unknown.
