Virus transmission to humans of genetically unstable rhesus monkey cellular sequences: A possible forerunner of complex human illnesses

Abstract

The production of human virus vaccines in virus-contaminated cultured animal cells provides the opportunity for genetic alterations in the respective vaccine and culture-contaminating viruses. Poliovirus vaccines were previously produced in kidney cell cultures from cytomegalovirus infected rhesus and African green monkeys. Viruses can undergo an immune evasion process termed stealth adaptation. It involves the deletion or mutation of the genes coding for the relatively few virus components that are normally targeted by the cellular immune system. As earlier reported, additional genetic sequences of cellular and bacterial origin can be incorporated into replicating stealth adapted viruses. This article confirms the incorporation of rhesus monkey genome-derived genetic sequences in certain stealth adapted viruses cultured from patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The virus-incorporated cellular-derived sequences differ slightly from the originating cellular sequences reflecting mutational changes and genetic instability. Ongoing mutations are also apparent in the minor differences in the genetic sequences seen in similar PCR products generated from the cultures of the two different CFS patients. Mutated human cellular genome-derived genetic sequences were also detected in the culture from one of the CFS patients. This is consistent with homologous recombination between human sequences and the virus-incorporated monkey cellular sequences. The transmission of genetically unstable, replicating monkey genomic sequences to humans and the potential of further transmission of mutated human genetic sequences between humans, warrants the attention of Public Health officials. The findings also question the continuing use of cultured animal cells to generate virus vaccines for human use.