NATURAL CONTROL OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM IN SAIDS

该试点项目的目标是确定 SIV感染猴的感染，表征免疫相关性 疾病，并确定疫苗接种的可行性，以防止 用鸟分枝杆菌机会性感染SAIDS动物。 M. SAIDS群体中的禽流感感染（MAI） 从1988年无法检测到的水平增加到近年来的18-25%。 这种机会性感染可引起腹泻、恶病质和 有时在严重免疫功能低下的猴子中出现肺炎， 与艾滋病儿童的MAI有着显著的相似性。 我们检测到M。 通过培养和PCR鉴定禽流感的分离株， 环境（土壤和水）和猴子的分子指纹图谱 分析. 到目前为止，从环境中分离的菌株很少感染深层 猴子的组织。 猴巨噬细胞的体外试验 证明了SIV和一种常见的 致病M.在我们的猴子群体中发现的鸟类产生的 预期的病毒水平。 我们致病菌株的蛋白质成分 正在被定性。 我们已经证明， 与SIV和严重免疫缺陷，可以感染我们的 致病性菌株（MavK 128），同时接种人株 M.禽流感病毒（血清型4）不能感染免疫缺陷猴。 目前，我们已经用灭活的M.普赖尔 SIV感染，并将评估疾病是否减弱， 预防针 未来的研究将继续寻找有希望的 配方M.

The objectives of this pilot project are to establish the source of infection in SIV-infected monkeys, characterize immune correlates of disease, and determine the feasibility of vaccination to prevent opportunistic infection of SAIDS animals with Mycobacterium avium. The incidence of M. avium infection (MAI) in the SAIDS colony has increased from undetectable levels in 1988 to 18-25% in recent years. This opportunistic infection produces diarrhea, cachexia, and sometimes pneumonia in severely immunocompromized monkeys with remarkable similarity to MAI in children with AIDS. We detect M. avium by culture and PCR and characterize isolates from the environment (soil and water) and monkeys by molecular fingerprint analysis. To date, isolates from the environment rarely infect deep tissues of monkeys. In vitro testing of monkey macrophages demonstrates that cells co-infected with SIV and a common strain of pathogenic M. avium found in our monkey colony produces higher than expected levels of virus. Protein components of our pathogenic strain are being characterized. We have demonstrated that animals infected with SIV and severely immunodeficient can be infected with our pathogenic strain (MavK128) while inoculation with a human strain of M. avium (Serovar 4) fails to infect immunodeficient monkeys. Currently, we have vaccinated four animals with killed M. avium prior to SIV-infection and will assess whether disease is attenuated by vaccination. Future studies will continue to look for promising formulations of M.