title: Intrathymic effect of acute pathogenic SHIV infection on T-lineage cells in newborn macaques.
abstract: We intrarectally infected newborn macaques with a pathogenic simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) that induced rapid and profound CD4 (+) T cell depletion, and examined the early effects of this SHIV on the thymus. After intrarectal infection, viral loads were much higher in the thymus than in other lymphoid tissues in newborns. In contrast, no clear difference was seen in the viral loads of different tissues in adults. Histological and immunohistochemical observations showed severe thymic involution. Depletion of CD4 (+) thymocytes began in the medulla at 2 weeks post infection and spread over the whole thymus. After in vivo infection, the CD2 (+) subpopulation, which represents a relatively later stage of T cell progenitors, was selectively reduced and development of thymocytes from CD3 (-) CD4 (-) CD8 (-) cells to CD4 (+) CD8 (+) cells was impaired. These results suggest that profound and irreversible loss of CD4 (+) cells that are observed in the peripheral blood of SHIV-infected monkeys are due to destruction of the thymus and impaired thymopoiesis as a result of SHIV infection in the thymus.
authors: Laboratory of Primate Model, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors: Hajime
authors: H
authors: Suzuki
authors: Makiko
authors: M
authors: Motohara
authors: Ariko
authors: A
authors: Miyake
authors: Kentaro
authors: K
authors: Ibuki
authors: Yoshinori
authors: Y
authors: Fukazawa
authors: Katsuhisa
authors: K
authors: Inaba
authors: Kyoko
authors: K
authors: Masuda
authors: Nagahiro
authors: N
authors: Minato
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Kawamoto
authors: Masanori
authors: M
authors: Hayami
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Miura
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity