FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE RHESUS MONKEY AS A MODEL OF HIV INFECTION

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Data generated from studies of HIV-inoculated rhesus monkey conducted in the LRR indicated that these animals may have become infected with HIV. Evidence for infection was based primarily on Western blot reactivity and positive, but inconsistent, laboratory culture results. With time evidence of culture positivity became less. To study further whether the monkeys were infected we attempted to transmit the infection to other rhesus. Two blood matched recipients received 6 mls of whole blood from the two rhesus with the most evidence of infection. Periodically, during the first three years of the study lymphocytes from these rhesus were virus culture positive. Peripheral blood lymphocytes and lyphocytes from lymphnodes from the two recipient monkeys were consistently positive using the polymerase chain reaction for amplification of sequences together with HIV specific hybridization. These data suggested that HIV had been transfused from the donor rhesus. The most recent tests of lymphocytes from these rhesus by the polymerase chain reaction have been negative. During the four years of study none of the rhesus developed clinical signs of HIV disease. Although, we now have data to support our original findings of infection of rhesus with HIV, we feel the rhesus is not a suitable model of HIV infection and disease in humans. The level of virus replication in the rhesus is not a suitable model of HIV infection and disease in humans in that the level of virus application in the rhesus tissues was low and virus could not be isolated consistently and the rhesus did not develop clinical signs of infection.