Exogenous immunosuppression with methylprednisolone does not reactivate a type D retrovirus in rhesus monkeys

To determine whether immunosuppression would result in retrovirus expression in previously infected rhesus monkeys, chronic high dose methyl prednisolone therapy was administered to two groups of animals for 4 weeks. One group was antibody positive for a type D retrovirus, designated Type D/3/wisc. The second group of animals had no known exposure to Type D/3/wisc and was antibody negative to this virus. The monkeys were evaluated for immunosuppression and retrovirus re-expression following the corticosteroid therapy. Although this treatment induced a marked cellular immunosuppression in all animals, as measured by in vitro assays, in none of the animals was retrovirus viremia or retrovirus-associated disease detected.