Mason-Pfizer monkey virus | |
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Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Pararnavirae |
Phylum: | Artverviricota |
Class: | Revtraviricetes |
Order: | Ortervirales |
Family: | Retroviridae |
Genus: | Betaretrovirus |
Species: | Mason-Pfizer monkey virus
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Member viruses[1] | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), formerly Simian retrovirus (SRV), is a species of retroviruses that usually infect and cause a fatal immune deficiency in Asian macaques.[3] The ssRNA virus appears sporadically in mammary carcinoma of captive macaques at breeding facilities which expected as the natural host, but the prevalence of this virus in feral macaques remains unknown.[4] M-PMV was transmitted naturally by virus-containing body fluids (saliva, urine, blood, etc.), via biting, scratching, grooming, and fighting. Cross contaminated instruments or equipment (fomite) can also spread this virus among animals.
Some clinical and pathological symptoms of M-PMV-infected newborn rhesus macaques are diarrhea, weight loss, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, anemia, neutropenia, and neoplastic diseases (retroperitoneal fibromatosis or rare B-cell lymphomas). Infected new-born Rhesus monkeys may develop immunodeficiency disease accompanied by opportunistic infections.[5] To prevent the infection of this virus, two vaccines have been developed: a formalin-inactivated vaccine SRV-1 and a recombinant vaccine expressing M-PMV envelope glycoprotein gp70 and gp22.[3]
M-PMV-based vector is a candidate for delivering therapeutic genes in human gene transfer. Based on the M-PMV 1) promoter region remain transcriptionally active in human cells and 2) the constitutive transport element (CTE) expression in the target cells aids the facilitation of the nuclear export for the gene therapy.[5]