According to a study published at the end of September, the simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV), very virulent in certain species of monkeys, could spread to humans.
- Like HIV, simian arteriviruses seem to attack immune cells, neutralizing the main defense mechanisms and establishing themselves permanently in the body.
- The authors stress that a new pandemic is not imminent and that the public should not be alarmed.
No human infections have been reported so far, but the simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) worries scientists. They believe, in a study published in the journal Cellthat the virus would be “about to spread” to humans.
SHFV: the virus would have similarities with HIV
This virus, from the family of simian arteriviruses, causes a fatal disease similar to that of Ebola in certain monkeys. Since the 1960s, it has caused several deadly epidemics in colonies of macaques in captivity.
At present, we do not know what impact SHFV would have on humans if it changed species. The authors nevertheless evoke parallels with HIV (whose precursor was also born in monkeys) and call for vigilance to avoid another pandemic: “This animal virus has managed to enter human cells, multiply and evade some of the important immune mechanisms that should protect us against an animal virus. It’s quite raresaid lead author Sara Sawyer, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at CU Boulder. We should pay attention“.
Cases of virus transmission from animals to humans are frequent
While thousands of viruses circulate among animals and most cause no symptoms, a significant number of them have managed to reach the human immune system with significant consequences. This was for example the case of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, but also of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) in 2003 and obviously of Sars-CoV-2 (the virus at the origin of Covid-19) in 2020.
“Covid is just the latest in a long series of animal-to-human transmissions, some of which have resulted in global disasters“said Sara Sawyer.”We hope that by making people aware of the viruses we need to watch out for, we can get ahead of the game, so that if human infections start happening, we’ll be on the hook quickly.“
The scientists propose in particular to consider monitoring human populations in close contact with animals carrying the virus. Indeed, some species of African monkeys carrying arterivirus viral load interact frequently with humans and are known to bite and scratch people, which exposes them to contamination.