title: Virologic and serologic characteristics of a natural chimpanzee lentivirus infection.
abstract: This study set out to characterize the unique features of natural lentivirus infection in chimpanzees over time. The virologic and serologic characteristics of this infection were followed longitudinally in a naturally infected chimpanzee together with a small cohort of experimentally HIV-1-infected chimpanzees. The subsequent isolates from the naturally infected chimpanzee were all non-syncytium forming (NSI) versus syncytium forming in the experimentally infected animals. In contrast to HIV-1-infected chimpanzees virus load was higher and plasma viremia occurred but in a cyclic pattern. Serologic follow-up suggested the development of neutralizing antibodies with subsequent escape of new isolates. Interestingly, the sequence of the principal neutralizing (V3 loop) domain (of HIV-1) remained constant over time. Antibodies to peptides from the V3 loop were type specific. The occurrence of persistent, fluctuating plasma viremia and NSI-type virus variants of this natural lentivirus infection are unique characteristics not previously reported in experimentally infected chimpanzees.
authors.affiliation: World Health Collaborating Center on AIDS, Department of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanden Haesevelde
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fransen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heyndrickx
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kestens
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piot
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van der Groen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heeney
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013997:Time Factors; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015686:Gene Products, env; D015483:HIV Antibodies