macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 (mchv-4), commonly known as rhesus lymphocryptovirus (rlv), is a species of virus in the genus lymphocryptovirus, subfamily gammaherpesvirinae, family herpesviridae, and order herpesvirales. macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 virus classification (unranked): virus realm: duplodnaviria kingdom: heunggongvirae phylum: peploviricota class: herviviricetes order: herpesvirales family: herpesviridae genus: lymphocryptovirus species: macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 synonyms rhesus lymphocryptovirus cercopithecine herpesvirus 15 rhesus hhv-4-like virus rhesus epstein barr virus rhesus ebv-like herpesvirus in nature, macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 infects rhesus macaques (macaca mulatta). comparison with human gammaherpesvirus 4 its genetic structure has been fully sequenced and found to be highly homologous with that of human gammaherpesvirus 4, commonly known as epstein-barr virus, at 65%. the structural proteins are highly conserved, while genes expressed during human gammaherpesvirus 4 latent infection are much less well conserved. even in cases where genes have low homology, the macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 infection genes are functionally interchangeable with human gammaherpesvirus 4 genes. macacine gammaherpesvirus 4 infection in rhesus monkeys resembles human gammaherpesvirus 4 infection in humans in several respects: oral transmission, atypical lymphocytosis lymphadenopathy activation of cd23+ peripheral blood b cells sustained serologic responses to lytic and latent human gammaherpesvirus 4 antigens latent infection in the peripheral blood virus persistence in oropharyngeal secretions these features make the rhesus lymphocryptovirus potentially useful for studying the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of human gammaherpesvirus 4 infection and associated oncogenesis.