Exceptional Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Diversity in a Wild African Primate Community

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) is an arterivirus that causes severe disease in captive macaques. We describe two new SHFV variants subclinically infecting wild African red-tailed guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius). Both variants are highly diver-gent from the prototype virus and variants infecting sympatric red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus). All known SHFV variants are monophyletic and share three open reading frames not present in other arteriviruses. Our data suggest a need to modify the current arterivirus classification. Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) is a member of thefamily Arteriviridae, together with equine arteritis virus (EAV), lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus (LDV), and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) (1). SHFV was first isolated fromcaptivemacaques (Macaca sp.) in 1964 after nearly simultaneous outbreaks in Soviet and American primate centers (2–4), possibly having originated from subclinically in-fected wild-caught patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas), green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops), or guinea baboons (Papio papio) (5, 6).Much of what is known about SHFV comes from prototype variants LVR 42-0/M6941 and Sukhumi, isolated during the orig