The virus infects chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) leukocytes. The glycoprotein B (gB) gene of the chimpanzee Lymphocryptovirus is virtually identical to the corresponding gene in the orangutan lymphocryptovirus. This suggests that the virus may have been transmitted between chimps and orangutans relatively recently (either in the wild or in captivity).[2]
^Gerner CS, Dolan A, McGeoch DJ (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships in the Lymphocryptovirus genus of the Gammaherpesvirinae". Virus Res. 99 (2): 187–92. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2003.10.011. PMID14749184.