Isolation of cytomegalovirus and foamy virus from the drill monkey (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and prevalence of antibodies to these viruses amongst wild-born and captive-bred individuals

Drill monkeys (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are an endangered species whose indigenous viral flora is largely unknown. We report here the isolation and characterization of both a cytomegalovirus (DrCMV) and a foamy virus (SFV-dr1) from drill monkeys. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data placed the DrCMV within a primate CMV clade, and showed that SFV-dr1 was closely related to baboon foamy viruses. ELISA analysis demonstrated that DrCMV shared common epitopes with other primate CMVs but was distinct from human and baboon CMVs. ELISA testing of sera from wild-born and captive-bred drills indicated that the prevalence of antibodies reactive with these two viruses was 93.2% for DrCMV and 20.3% for SFV-dr1.