Nonhuman primate spumavirus infections among persons with occupational exposure--United States, 1996

Abstract

Nonhuman primate (NHP) species used in biomedical research may be infected with a variety of retroviruses including simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), simian spumaviruses (i.e., simian foamy viruses [SPV]), simian T-lymphotrophic viruses (STLV), and/or simian type D retroviruses. All of these retroviruses cause life-long infections in NHPs, and some are transmissible through sexual contact, blood, or breast-feeding. Following the detection of SIV infection in a worker with occupational exposure to SIV, in 1993 CDC and the National Institutes of Health conducted an anonymous serosurvey using stored specimens collected from U.S. workers with similar exposures. SIV seroreactivity was present in three (0.6%) of 427 stored serum samples. As a result of this finding, in 1993 CDC implemented a voluntary testing and counseling surveillance program to link specific exposures or health outcomes with the SIV serostatus of persons with potential occupational exposure to SIV. In 1995, the linked surveillance program was expanded to include voluntary testing and counseling for exposure to SFV, STLV and simian type D retroviruses. As of November 20, 1996, samples from 231 of the participating volunteer workers had been tested for SFV; infection was documented in three (1.3%). This report presents laboratory findings and case descriptions of these three infections, which indicate that SFV from NHPs can persistently infect exposed humans and may or may not cause disease or be transmitted among humans.