Simian hemorrhagic fever is an acutely fatal disease of Asian macaques. It is caused by simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV), which is currently classified as an arterivirus in the family Arteriviridae, order Nidovirales. In contrast to its closest relatives, the arterviruses equine arteritis virus, lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus, and porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus, SHFV is almost completely uncharacterized. Thus far, SHFV has never been isolated from wild animals, and all outbreaks have occurred within primate-holding facilities. Recently, scientific interest in simian hemorrhagic fever has increased in the biodefense community because the disease closely resembles viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) caused by certain arena-, bunya-, flavi-, and filovirids. In contrast to these viruses, SHFV does not cause disease in humans, is not listed as a Select Agent or an NIAID Priority Pathogen, and can be handled in standard (A)BSL-2 laboratory environments. SHFV may therefore be a valuable tool for developing nonhuman primate models for VHF, which may not only allow for the better characterization of VHF pathogenesis and the testing of general anti-VHF pharmaceuticals, but may also be used as a training tool for new maximum-containment facilities in regards to safety testing of infrastructure and standard operation procedures. This review summarizes the scientific knowledge on SHFV and the disease it causes."

Dr. Jens H. Kuhn, MD, PhD, PhD, MS, is Managing Consultant at Tunnell Consulting, Inc., King of Prussia, PA, and Lead Virologist (Contractor) at the NIH/NIAID/DCR's new maximum-containment facility, the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick) in Maryland, USA. Dr. Kuhn received his MD and one of his PhDs from Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, and his MS and second PhD from the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany. He specializes in highly virulent viral pathogens and recently published Filoviruses - A Compendium of 40 Years of Epidemiological, Clinical, and Laboratory Studies with Springer Publishing. He has studied and worked, among other countries, in Germany, Russia, South Africa, and South Korea. In the US, he rotated through the Arthropod-borne Infectious Disease Laboratory (AIDL), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). Dr. Kuhn was the first Western scientist granted permission to work in a former Soviet biological warfare facility, "Vector," within the US Department of Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. Dr. Kuhn was a contributor to the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland's Controlling Dangerous Pathogens Project, is a member of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation's CBW Scientist Working Group, and a member of the editorial board of Applied Biosafety - Journal of the American Biological Safety Association.