MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TESTS FOR SIMIAN HERPESVIRUSES

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Monkeys are a vital resource for biomedical research. Herpesvirus simiae (B virus; BV) presents a very real danger for biomedical personnel who work with macaques. H. papio 2 (HVP2) similarly causes problems in baboon breeding colonies. Sensitive assays for detection of infected monkeys are needed to identify animals which pose a risk to personnel and to identify virus-free animals for establishment of virus-free breeding colonies. Sensitive assays which can differentiate between BV, HVP2 and the human herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) are also necessary for accurate and rapid identification of human infections with monkey viruses. Several complementary approaches will be pursued to achieve these goals. Genes encoding the virus-specific gG glycoproteins of BV and HVP2 will be cloned into an inducible expression vector to establish stably transformed cells which will be used to develop sensitive, virus-specific ELISAs for detection of antibody to BV and HVP2. Capitalizing on a strong antibody response to the viral capsid protein (p40) which develops early following primary infections, the BV and HSV1 p40 genes will be cloned into a procaryotic expression vector to produce recombinant proteins for development of immunoassays to provide early serological confirmation of human BV infections. Additional BV proteins which are consistently recognized by monkey sera will be identified and expressed, and their potential use for development of diagnostic tests evaluated. Monoclonal antibodies to BV will also be produced, characterized, and used for sensitive immunoassays to identify infected monkeys and humans. This project applies results of basic molecular research to the clinically important problem of BV and HVP2 detection and diagnosis. The assays developed will permit rapid, sensitive and reliable differential diagnosis of primate herpesvirus infections, enabling primate colony managers to more effectively operate facilities and reduce loss of human life due to zoonotic herpes infections.