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Simian Foamy Virus Transmission to Humans

NCT03225794 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 1600

Last updated 2025-09-22

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

About three quarters of the viral agents that have emerged recently in humans are considered to originate from other animals. These viruses have often evolved and spread into the human population through various mechanisms after the initial contact that resulted in interspecies transmission. However, knowledge of the initial stages of the emergence of viruses and associated diseases is still limited in many cases. Microbiological monitoring in populations at risk of transmission would provide insights into the initiation and early stages of the emergence process.

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) share many genetic, physiological, and microbiological features with humans, and are potential sources of many infectious agents. This has been demonstrated for several simian retroviruses. HIV-1 and 2 are believed to have originated from chimpanzee and mangabey viruses, respectively, found in Central and West Africa. The current distribution of the various molecular subtypes of the HTLV-1 oncogenic retrovirus in Africa is mainly the result of numerous instances of interspecies transmission of STLV-1from NHP species in the distant past.

Foamy viruses belong to the Retrovidae family and the Spumavirus genus. They are complex exogenous retroviruses and are very common in many animal species, including primates, cats, cattle, and horses, in which they cause persistent infections.

The first aim of the work is to study the epidemiological and molecular aspects of the transmission of foamy viruses from monkeys to humans in populations at risk, such as the inhabitants (especially hunters) in the villages of the dense forests of southern Cameroon. It is an area in which NHPs are still very common, with a great diversity of species. The investigators have already shown that the prevalence of foamy viruses is very high in these monkeys and great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees). Contact between these monkeys and the villagers is very frequent, mainly during hunting. The second aim of the project is to study the clinical and biological features of infected people and investigate intrafamilial transmission from infected index cases.

Conditions

  • Simian Foamy Virus Infection (Disorder)

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Simian foamy virus Infection

Plasma samples are tested for the presence of antibodies directed against foamy viruses by western blotting (WB). The BHK-21 cell line infected with a chimpanzee foamy virus is used as a source of viral antigen. Samples are considered to be positive if there is net reactivity against the GAG doublet (70 to 74 kD). High molecular weight DNA will be extracted, from either buffy coats, cell cultures, or both, for molecular biology studies. The presence and quality of the DNA will be verified by amplification of a fragment of the beta-globin gene. Two regions of foamy virus genomic DNA will be amplified by nested PCR, using generic amplimers, giving rise to fragments of the integrase gene (425 bp) and LTR (109 bp).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Institut Pasteur

    lead INDUSTRY

Principal Investigators

  • Antoine GESSAIN, MD · Institut Pasteur

Eligibility

Min Age
5 Years
Max Age
90 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2010-11-01
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • Cameroon

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03225794 on ClinicalTrials.gov