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Development of neurological disease is associated with increased immune activation in simian immunodeficiency

Que Dang1, Sonya Whitted, Robert M Goeken

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Journal of Virology
|October 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection can cause central nervous system disorders in macaques. This study found SIV in cerebrospinal fluid correlated with neurologic disease, suggesting SIV

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in macaques can lead to central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including meningitis and encephalitis.
  • Understanding the pathogenesis of SIV-induced neurological disease is crucial for primate models of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the link between SIV infection and the development of neurological disease in macaques.
  • To determine the correlation between viral load in different bodily fluids and the onset of SIV-induced neurologic conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Ten macaques were inoculated with brain-derived SIV from animals exhibiting SIV encephalitis.
  • Monitoring for neurological disease development and measuring viral RNA levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  • Assessing systemic immune activation levels.

Main Results:

  • Over 50% of the inoculated macaques developed SIV-induced neurologic disease.
  • Elevated systemic immune activation correlated with the presence of viral RNA in the CSF.
  • No correlation was found between plasma viral load and the presence of viral RNA in the CSF.

Conclusions:

  • SIV plays a role in the pathogenesis of neurologic disease in macaques.
  • Cerebrospinal fluid viral RNA levels, rather than plasma viral load, are associated with SIV-induced CNS disorders.
  • Systemic immune activation may be a contributing factor to SIV-related neurological complications.

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