Thirty-four rhesus monkeys were inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae inoculum isolated from sooty mangabey monkeys with leprosy. Later it was learned that one of the M. leprae-donor mangabeys was asymptomatically infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Thus, five of the rhesus monkey were coinoculated with M. leprae and SIV. Three of the five became SIV-positive and developed signs of leprosy and an AIDS-like illness. Two animals remained healthy. The coinoculated leprosy-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy despite serologic response patterns to M. leprae antigens that usually indicate leprosy resistance. Three (60%) of the five SIV-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy compared with 21% of the animals who received SIV-free M. leprae inocula. Diminished lepromin skin test responses and decreasing T-helper cell percentages were observed in SIV-coinoculated rhesus monkeys with leprosy. These observations suggest that SIV increases the susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to leprosy, possibly related to loss of T-helper cell function.
BT - The Journal of infectious diseases C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2547881?dopt=Abstract DA - 1989 Sep DO - 10.1093/infdis/160.3.405 IS - 3 J2 - J. Infect. Dis. LA - eng N2 -Thirty-four rhesus monkeys were inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae inoculum isolated from sooty mangabey monkeys with leprosy. Later it was learned that one of the M. leprae-donor mangabeys was asymptomatically infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Thus, five of the rhesus monkey were coinoculated with M. leprae and SIV. Three of the five became SIV-positive and developed signs of leprosy and an AIDS-like illness. Two animals remained healthy. The coinoculated leprosy-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy despite serologic response patterns to M. leprae antigens that usually indicate leprosy resistance. Three (60%) of the five SIV-positive rhesus monkeys developed leprosy compared with 21% of the animals who received SIV-free M. leprae inocula. Diminished lepromin skin test responses and decreasing T-helper cell percentages were observed in SIV-coinoculated rhesus monkeys with leprosy. These observations suggest that SIV increases the susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to leprosy, possibly related to loss of T-helper cell function.
PY - 1989 SP - 405 EP - 13 T2 - The Journal of infectious diseases TI - Interactions between simian immunodeficiency virus and Mycobacterium leprae in experimentally inoculated rhesus monkeys. VL - 160 SN - 0022-1899 ER -