title: Interactions between simian immunodeficiency virus and Mycobacterium leprae in experimentally inoculated rhesus monkeys.
abstract: Thirty-four rhesus monkeys were inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae inoculum isolated from sooty mangabey monkeys with leprosy. Later it was learned that one of the M. leprae-donor mangabeys was asymptomatically infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Thus, five of the rhesus monkey were coinoculated with M. leprae and SIV. Three of the five became SIV-positive and developed signs of leprosy and an AIDS-like illness. Two animals remained healthy. The coinoculated leprosy-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy despite serologic response patterns to M. leprae antigens that usually indicate leprosy resistance. Three (60%) of the five SIV-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy compared with 21% of the animals who received SIV-free M. leprae inocula. Diminished lepromin skin test responses and decreasing T-helper cell percentages were observed in SIV-coinoculated rhesus monkeys with leprosy. These observations suggest that SIV increases the susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to leprosy, possibly related to loss of T-helper cell function.
authors.affiliation: Delta Regional Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, Louisiana 70433.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Gormus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphey-Corb
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Baskin
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Trygg
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Meyers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007918:Leprosy / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000472:pathogenicity*