Maintenance of picobirnavirus (PBV) infection in an adult orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and genetic diversity of excreted viral strains during a three-year period

Abstract The present work provide data about the maintenance of picobirnavirus (PBV) infection during adulthood in a mammalian host. For this purpose PBV infection was studied in an adult orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus ) by PAGE/SS, RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing. PBV infection in the animal was asymptomatic and was characterized by interspaced silent and high/ low active viral excretion periods. The PBV strains excreted by the studied individual were identified as genogroup I and revealed a nucleotide identity among them of 64–81%. The results obtained allowed to arrive to a deeper understanding of the natural history of PBV infection, which seems to be characterized by new-born, juvenile and adult asymptomatic hosts which persistently excrete closely related strains in their feces. Consequently, picobirnaviruses could be considered frequent inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract, leaving the question open about the molecular mechanisms governing persistent and asymptomatic coexistence within the host and the potential host suitability to maintain this relationship.