Simian immunodeficiency virus needlestick accident in a laboratory worker.
The macaque monkey infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is an animal model of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. We investigated a laboratory worker who was exposed by needlestick accident to blood from an SIV-infected macaque. Seroreactivity to SIV developed within 3 months of exposure, with antibody titres peaking from the third to the fifth month and declining thereafter. Polymerase chain reaction for SIV sequences and cultures of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells failed to show infection. Inoculation of an SIV-negative monkey with blood from the worker did not cause infection. Animal-care and laboratory workers should adhere strictly to recommended procedures to avoid accidental exposures when working with SIV-infected animals or specimens.
Retrovirus Disease Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
R F
RF
Khabbaz
T
T
Rowe
M
M
Murphey-Corb
W M
WM
Heneine
C A
CA
Schable
J R
JR
George
C P
CP
Pau
B S
BS
Parekh
M D
MD
Lairmore
J W
JW
Curran
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013933:Thumb / Q000293:injuries*