AEGiS-11IAC: Transient, low level infection of macaques with HIV-2 is able to induce virus-specific CTL.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

Print this Article


Transient, low level infection of macaques with HIV-2 is able to induce virus-specific CTL.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:211 (abstract no. Th.A.142)
Klucking S, Robertson MN, Looney D, Schmidt A, Morton WR, Wong-Staal F, McClure J, Hu SL, Greenberg PD; Universtiy of Washington Retrovirus Lab, Seattle, WA, USA.

Rational: Previous studies have indicated that 2 of 4 macaques infected with the non-pathogenic virus, HIV-2KR, were partially protected from disease when subsequently challenged with the highly pathogenic HIV-2EHO/287 strain. The protected animals, but not unprotected animals, had virus-specific CTL after HIV-2EHO/287 challenge.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if transient infection with a non-pathogenic strain of HIV-2 elicits virus-specific CTL in macaques.

METHODS: HIV-2 specific CTL were measured in 6 pig-tail macaques 3 weeks after inoculation with 105TCID50 of HIV-2KR. CTL were generated by antigen specific stimulation with autologous B-LCL infected with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the HIV-2KR Gag protein. Viremia was detected by nested PCR and by cocultivation at weekly intervals.

RESULTS: Inoculation with HIV-2KR led to only low level and transient viremia. Virus was detectable by cocultivation in only 2 of 6 animals at any time point in the first 4 weeks after challenge. Virus could be detected in both of these animals by nested PCR, and one additional animal was PCR positive at one time point only. Despite this, all animals had readily detectable Gag-specific CTL at week 3 post challenge. CTL could not be detected 3 months after challenge nor at subsequent time points by bulk CTL analysis or by limiting dilution analysis. The animals will be challenged with HIV-2EHO/287 to determine if there is a memory CTL response and if this response correlates with protective immunity.

CONCLUSIONS: Transient, low level infection with a non-pathogenic strain of HIV-2 can induce virus-specific CTL. Studies are under way to determine if these CTL responses are able to confer protective immunity.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV-2, Macaca, Gene Products, gag, Viremia, Vaccinia virus, Macaca fascicularis, Macaca mulatta, Animal, ICA11KWDaegis,hiv-2,macaca,geneproducts,gag,viremia,vacciniavirus,macacafascicularis,macacamulatta,animal,ica11

960707
ThA142

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.