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Wild Malaysian Cynomolgus Monkeys are Exposed to Hepatitis a Virus^*

Donald S. Burke AND Gregory B. Heisey

Serum samples were obtained within 3 days of capture from 106 cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) in peninsular Malaysia. Fifty-two monkeys were trapped on the fringes of palm oil estates and 54 in dense primary jungle. Sera were tested for antibodies to hepatitis A virus (HAV) with a commercial radioimmunoassay. Twenty-four animals had detectable serum anti-HAV activity (6 of 52 from palm oil estate sites and 18 of 54 from primary jungle sites). Among monkeys at both sites, antibody prevalence was strongly correlated with animal weight: overall only four of 69 monkeys (6%) weighing less than 2.0 kg had serum anti-HAV antibodies, while 14 of 29 (48%) weighting 2.0 to 3.9 kg, and 6 of 8 (75%) weighing 4.0 kg or more, had serum anti-HAV antibodies. These data suggest that wild cynomolgus monkeys in Malaysian jungles become infected with HAV or an HAV-like virus at a rate comparable to that of humans in the same region, and raise the possibility of a sylvatic cycle for HAV.

Accepted for publication March 20, 1984.

^* In conducting the research described in this report, the investigators adhered to the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council (USA)."

The views of the authors do not purport to reflect the positions of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

Reprint requests originating from the U.S.A. should be addressed to Dr. Donald S. Burke, US Component AFRIMS, APO San Francisco 96346.

Present address: Veterinary Medicine Department, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20014.

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