title: Viral dynamics of early HIV infection in neonatal macaques after oral exposure to HIV-2287: an animal model with implications for maternal-neonatal HIV transmission.
abstract: A model of vertical HIV transmission was developed using oral HIV-2(287) exposure of newborn Macaca nemestrina. The minimal Animal Infectious Dose for this oral route was found to be 10-fold higher than that for atraumatic viral transmission across other mucosal membranes (vaginal/rectal) of juvenile macaques. However, once infection was established, viral replication was rapid and plasma viremia could be detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and viral co-culture within 1 week following exposure. No animal was resistant to infection and all macaques initially exposed to a subinfectious viral inoculum were subsequently infected by re-exposure of mucosal membranes. Higher viral load during primary infection correlated with a more rapid CD4 depletion; however, all HIV-2(287)-infected animals developed CD4 depletion during the observation period. This animal model can now be used to study early viral replication in the presence and absence of anti-retroviral agents to help identify conditions to reduce vertical HIV transmission in human newborns.
authors.affiliation: Washington Regional Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. arndherz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Arnd M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Herz
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sherbert
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Agy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Morton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000635:transmission*; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000662:veterinary*; D008254:Macaca nemestrina / Q000821:virology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000821:virology; D011247:Pregnancy; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral