Discovery and Characterization of Distinct Simian Pegiviruses in Three Wild African Old World Monkey Species

Within the Flaviviridae, the recently designated genus Pegivirus has expanded greatly due to new discoveries in bats, horses, and rodents. Here we report the discovery and characterization of three simian pegiviruses (SPgV) that resemble human pegivirus (HPgV) and infect red colobus monkeys (Procolobus tephrosceles), red-tailed guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius) and an olive baboon (Papio anubis). We have designated these viruses SPgV(krc), SPgV(krtg) and SPgV(kbab), reflecting their host species’ common names, which include reference to their location of origin in Kibale National Park, Uganda. SPgV(krc) and SPgV(krtg) were detected in 47% (28/60) of red colobus and 42% (5/12) red-tailed guenons, respectively, while SPgV(kbab) infection was observed in 1 of 23 olive baboons tested. Infections were not associated with any apparent disease, despite the generally high viral loads observed for each variant. These viruses were monophyletic and equally divergent from HPgV and pegiviruses previously identified in chimpanzees (SPgV(cpz)). Overall, the high degree of conservation of genetic features among the novel SPgVs, HPgV and SPgV(cpz) suggests conservation of function among these closely related viruses. Our study describes the first primate pegiviruses detected in Old World monkeys, expanding the known genetic diversity and host range of pegiviruses and providing insight into the natural history of this genus.