Identification and molecular characterization of novel primate bocaparvoviruses from wild western lowland gorillas of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon

Bocaparvoviruses have been studied extensively owing to their ability to cause respiratory illness or gastroenteritis in humans. Some bocaparvoviruses have been detected in non-human primates (gorillas and chimpanzees), but the diversity and evolution of these viruses are not fully understood. In this study, we collected 107 fecal samples from wild western lowland gorillas in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park in Gabon to investigate the presence of bocaparvoviruses. Using a combination of pan-bocaparvovirus PCR and individual identification by microsatellite genotyping, we found that two samples from two apparently healthy infant gorillas were positive for bocaparvovirus. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the two gorilla bocaparvovirus strains are nearly identical and are closely related to viruses in the species Primate bocaparvovirus 2 (with 86.0% nucleotide identity to a human bocavirus 2 isolate). To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the presence of a non-human primate bocaparovirus within Primate bocaparvovirus 2. Our findings provide novel insights into the diversity and evolution of bocaparvoviruses and highlight the importance of surveying these viruses for the safe management of gorilla-based ecotourism.