Data from: Zoonotic infection of Brazilian primate workers with New World simian foamy virus

Simian foamy viruses (SFVs) are retroviruses present in nearly all
nonhuman primates (NHPs), including Old World primates (OWP) and New World
primates (NWP). While all confirmed human infections with SFV are from
zoonotic transmissions originating from OWP, little is known about the
zoonotic transmission potential of NWP SFV. We conducted a longitudinal,
prospective study of 56 workers occupationally exposed to NWP in Brazil.
Plasma from these workers was tested using Western blot (WB) assays
containing NWP SFV antigens. Genomic DNA from blood and buccal swabs was
analyzed for the presence of proviral SFV sequences by three nested PCR
tests and a new quantitative PCR assay. Exposure histories were obtained
and analyzed for associations with possible SFV infection. Ten persons
(18%) tested seropositive and two persons were seroindeterminate (3.6%)
for NWP SFV. Six persons had seroreactivity over 2-3 years suggestive of
persistent infection. All SFV NWP WB-positive workers reported at least
one incident involving NWP, including six reporting NWP bites. NWP SFV
viral DNA was not detected in the blood or buccal swabs from all 12 NWP
SFV seroreactive workers. We also found evidence of SFV seroreversion in
three workers suggestive of possible clearance of infection. Our findings
suggest that NWP SFV can be transmitted to occupationally-exposed humans
and can elicit specific humoral immune responses but infection remains
well-controlled resulting in latent infection and may occasionally clear.