Obesity virus link

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Hi All,

Adenovirus type 39 appears to cause obesity in primate models. The

last paragraph of the text of the PDF-available below, seems to imply

this applies to humans:

" A survey from three different states in the United States

showed a 30% prevalence of Ad-36 antibodies in obese but

only a 5% prevalence of the antibodies in nonobese subjects "

Cheers, Alan Pater.

Dhurandhar NV, Whigham LD, Abbott DH, Schultz-Darken NJ, Israel BA,

Bradley

SM, Kemnitz JW, DB, Atkinson RL.

Human adenovirus Ad-36 promotes weight gain in male rhesus and

marmoset

monkeys.

J Nutr. 2002 Oct;132(10):3155-60.

Although obesity has multiple etiologies, an overlooked possibility

is an infectious origin. We previously identified two viruses, SMAM-

1, an avian adenovirus (Ad), and Ad-36, a human adenovirus, that

produce a syndrome of visceral obesity, with paradoxically decreased

serum cholesterol and triglycerides in chickens and mice. In the two

studies presented in this paper, we used nonhuman primates to

investigate the adiposity-promoting potential of Ad-36. In study 1,

we observed spontaneously occurring Ad-36 antibodies in 15 male

rhesus monkeys, and a significant longitudinal association of

positive antibody status with weight gain and plasma cholesterol

lowering during the 18 mo after viral antibody appearance. In study

2, which was a randomized controlled experiment, three male marmosets

inoculated with Ad-36 had a threefold body weight gain, a greater fat

gain and lower serum cholesterol relative to baseline (P <0.05) than

three uninfected controls at 28 wk postinoculation. These studies

illustrate that the adiposity-promoting effect of Ad-36 occurs in two

nonhuman primate species and demonstrates the usefulness of nonhuman

primates for further evaluation of Ad-36-induced adiposity.

PMID: 12368411 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]