Evidence of simian retrovirus type D by polymerase chain reaction.

BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, there have been reports of finding Simian retrovirus type D (SRV) in macaque colonies where some animals were characterized as antibody positive but virus negative raising questions about how SRV was transmitted or whether there is a variant strain detected by antibody but not polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in current use.

METHODS: We developed a three-round nested PCR assay using degenerate primers targeting the pol gene to detect for SRV serotypes 1-5 and applied this newly validated PCR assay to test macaque DNA samples collected in China from 2010 to 2015.

RESULTS: Using the nested PCR assay validated in this study, we found 0.15% of the samples archived on FTA® cards were positive.

CONCLUSIONS: The source of SRV infection identified within domestic colonies might have originated from imported macaques. The multiplex nested PCR assay developed here may supplement the current assays for SRV.