title: Traditional Chinese medicine etiology and pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected Chinese rhesus macaques.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) etiology and pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by 18-month observation of Chinese rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) mac239.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five healthy Chinese rhesus macaques were divided into a model group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 5). The model was established by inoculating monkeys intravenously with SIVmac239. Changes in TCM symptoms after SIV infection within 18 months were then observed and recorded. Routine blood tests, SIV viral load, T-lymphocyte subsets, plasma triiodothyronine (T3), tetraiodothyronine (T4), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (Cor) were tested periodically during the experiment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the acute infection period of SIV, model monkeys temporarily showed clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, dysphoria and slight weight loss. Decrease percentages of CD4+ T-lymphocytes were observed but levels of T3, T4, Cor, and ACTH were relatively unchanged. Monkeys in the model group during the early and middle periods of infection showed no obvious symptoms, except few monkeys exhibited transient diarrhea and reduced food intake. All variables at this stage showed normal fluctuations. In the middle period model group monkeys showed chronic and persistent diarrhea, weight loss, reduced food intake and low levels of T3 and Cor. In the late period, symptoms including emaciation, weight loss, listlessness, crouching in corners and low levels of T3 appeared.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the rhesus monkey SIV/SAIDS model can be applied to research on TCM etiology and pathogenesis of AIDS. According to this model, the etiology of disease is the SIV virus. The pathogenesis manifests as the invasion of SIV virus, incubation of the virus, balance between virus and healthy "Qi", damage to spleen and kidney as the disease progressed, exhaustion of vitality and finally the failure of five zang and six fu organs.
authors: Tropical Medicine Institute, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Baiyun District, Airport Road 12, Guangzhou 510405, China.
authors: Maoqing
authors: M
authors: Li
authors: Linchun
authors: L
authors: Fu
authors: Yinjie
authors: Y
authors: Hu
authors: Miaomiao
authors: M
authors: Zhang
authors: Jinyang
authors: J
authors: He
authors: Zhixi
authors: Z
authors: Chen
authors: Jinyan
authors: J
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000502:physiology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology