title: Impaired responses to Mycobacterium leprae antigens in rhesus monkeys experimentally inoculated with simian immunodeficiency virus and M. leprae.
abstract: Seven of eight rhesus monkeys (RM) coinfected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and Mycobacterium leprae harboured acid-fast bacilli (AFB) at sites of dermal inoculation and/or at disseminated sites at times of humane sacrifice (up to 270 days post-M. leprae inoculation) due to SIV-induced debilitation or, in one long term survivor's case, to date over 3 years post-M. leprae inoculation. Detectable AFB were cleared in biopsies of inoculation sites of RM inoculated with M. leprae alone after 63 days postinoculation; these sites have, so far, remained AFB-negative, thereafter. Compared to animals infected with M. leprae alone, RM coinfected with SIV plus M. leprae showed: 1, completely suppressed serum antibody responses to M. leprae-specific PGL-I antigen, but strong anti-SIV Gp120 antibody responses; 2, impaired sensitization of blood mononuclear cells (MNC) to in vitro recognition of M. leprae-specific antigens in blastogenic stimulation assays; 3, impaired in vitro responses of blood MNC to nonspecific (ConA) blastogenic stimuli; and 4, early post-M. leprae inoculation, there was a significant incremental diminution of percentages of blood CD4+CD29+ T-cells in addition to the existing SIV-induced diminished percentages of CD4+CD29+ T-cells. The results indicate that humoral and cellular immune responses to M. leprae antigens are compromised in M. leprae-inoculated RM previously infected with SIV. These results provide an immunologic basis for the demonstration of enhanced M. leprae persistence or leprosy susceptibility in SIV-M. leprae coinfected RM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA.
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: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Baskin
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ratteree
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gerone
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Scollard
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Gillis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D012016:Reference Values; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral