Adenoviruses are a family of viruses that commonly infect human beings, causing anything from cold and flu-like symptoms to death depending on the particular virus and health of the infected individual. Viruses can only infect cells that have specific receptors on their outer membrane. These receptors are often very specific which is why viruses are usually limited to a particular species. However, a newly discovered adenovirus has been found to jump between primate species and humans. The adenovirus, called titi monkey adenovirus (TMAdV), was first found when it nearly wiped out a colony of New World titi monkeys at the National Primate Center in California four years ago. At the time symptoms of adenovirus infection were found in a human researcher. These symptoms were serologically proven to be caused by the titi monkey adenovirus.

A new study conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco replicated this trans-species jump under laboratory conditions. They exposed three marmoset monkeys to samples of TMAdV and observed them until they developed mild “cold-like” symptoms. This study adds greater scientific weight to the observed trans-species jump observed in 2009. Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, and director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center and lead scientist of the study says the study raises “more concerns about the potential of unknown viruses to spread from animals to humans”. Trans-species infection has always been a concern and has become a hot topic in mass media following events such as the swine and avian flu scares. New strains of virus for which our bodies do not have pre-existing immunological defenses entering the population are a possible result of trans-species jumps. Chiu hopes that by studying the adenovirus and making use of advanced computational techniques that can more rapidly identify novel viruses he can make it possible to determine how and why some viruses can infect multiple species.