Immunological and molecular comparison of simian cytomegaloviruses isolated from African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) and Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata).

Simian cytomegaloviruses (CMV) isolated from African green monkeys and Japanese macaques were compared serologically and genetically. Twenty-three out of 31 sera from Japanese, Taiwan and rhesus macaques were positive for neutralizing antibodies to simian CMVs isolated from both African green monkeys and a Japanese macaque. The neutralizing antibody titers of those sera were slightly higher to the isolates of African green monkeys origin than to that of Japanese macaque origin. Studies with antisera prepared in guinea pigs revealed a partial antigenic cross-reaction between Japanese macaque CMV (JaM-CMV) and African green monkey CMV (AGM-CMV): the antiserum to JaM-CMV neutralized both homologous JaM-CMV and heterologous AGM-CMV, but the antisera to AGM-CMV neutralized only homologous AGM-CMV. DNAs of both AGM-CMV and JaM-CMV were compared by restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis. The individual simian CMV isolates showed unique restriction patterns when cleaved with EcoRI, BamHI, or HindIII. In addition, DNA of JaM-CMV was distinguishable from that of AGM-CMV when cleaved with EcoRI or BamHI.