A new adenovirus isolated from a western lowland gorilla held in captivity

Abstract

Many adenovirus (AdV) species have been isolated from human and non-human primates. Here we describe the isolation of a new AdV from a western lowland gorilla held captive in a zoo. Analysis of the genome sequence demonstrated that this virus is a member of the Mastadenovirus genus, but markedly distinct from all previously described species. The new virus, AdV-lumc014, has a relatively low DNA sequence identity (<90 %) compared to other human and simian AdVs. The virus is most related to the HAdV-B and HAdV-E species, of which isolates were previously obtained from humans and apes (i.e. bonobos, chimpanzees, and western lowland gorillas). Phylogenetic analyses of the amino-acid sequences of the hexon, penton-base, fiber knob, protein IIIa, AdV polymerase, single-stranded DNA-binding protein, AdV protease, and protein IX confirmed the relationship with HAdV-B and HAdV-E. The phylogenetic distances exceed the value of 0.05 often used to separate distinct AdV species. In addition, we found evidence for recombination events between the AdV-lumc014 and HAdV-D. Almost no neutralizing immunity was detected in pooled human immunoglobulins, demonstrating that the virus is scarce or absent in the human population and that there is limited cross-reacting neutralizing immunity. This new AdV species may be a valuable expansion of the arsenal of AdVs that can be used for gene therapy, viral oncolysis, and as a vaccine carrier.