Identification of Adenoviruses in Fecal Specimens from Wild Chimpanzees (Pan trogylodytes schweinfurthii) in Western Tanzania

The family Adenoviridae includes a group of icosahedral nonenveloped viruses containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Members of this family are classified into two previously established genera, Mastadenovirus and Aviadenovirus , comprising mammalian and avian isolates, respectively, and three recently accepted genera, Atadenovirus, Siadenovirus , and Ichtadenovirus , comprising a broad range of hosts including mammalian, amphibian, reptile, and fish isolates. Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are located in the genus Mastadenovirus and include 54 serotypes that can be divided into seven species subgroups (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). The genomes of serotypes within a species are highly related and show modest divergence between species. 1, 2 Adenoviruses in humans cause a broad spectrum of diseases including respiratory tract infections, acute conjunctivitis, cystitis, gastroenteritis and systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. 1 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based diagnostic assays have made it possible to detect adenoviruses by family, serotype, or species, with good sensitivity. Pan adenovirus family PCR primers are specific for the highly conserved regions in hexon gene of known members of the family Adenovirida e and enable detection of known and previously unrecognized adenoviruses. We show the utility of the pan adenovirus family PCR approach in identification of two distinctive adenoviruses from wild chimpanzees in western Tanzania. M group chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) at Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania are accustomed to humans and tolerate observation from close proximity for extended periods. We previously demonstrated that a human metapneumovirus was the likely causative agent associated with an acute, fatal respiratory disease outbreak in this group. 3