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Chronic, Acute, and Reactivated HIV Infection in Humanized Immunodeficient Mouse Models
Published on: December 3, 2019
Animal models recapitulate aspects of HIV/CNS disease
L Vitković1, E Stover, S H Koslow
1Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20857, USA.
AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Animal models are crucial for studying HIV central nervous system (CNS) infection due to the inaccessibility of brain tissue. These models, including SIV-infected macaques and HuSCID mice, replicate key neuropathological and neurobehavioral changes seen in humans.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects the central nervous system (CNS) early in infection.
- Investigating HIV neuropathogenesis is challenging due to the limited accessibility of brain tissue.
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling offers insights, but its correlation with parenchymal changes remains unclear.
Framework:
- Animal models are essential for studying HIV/CNS disease.
- Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV)-infected macaques exhibit neuropathological and neurobehavioral deficits.
- Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)-infected cats show electrophysiological and sleep disturbances.
- Murine leukemia virus-infected mice display brain infection and behavioral alterations.
- Humanized SCID (HuSCID) mice engrafted with HIV-infected human cells show neuropathology mirroring human AIDS cases.
Implementation:
- Review of existing animal models for HIV CNS infection.
- Assessment of model fidelity in recapitulating human HIV/CNS disease aspects.
- Evaluation of neuropathological and neurobehavioral outcomes in various animal models.
Implications:
- Animal models provide valuable platforms for understanding HIV neuropathogenesis.
- These models facilitate the development and testing of therapeutic strategies for HIV/CNS disease.
- Future research can leverage these models to explore preventative and curative interventions for HIV-related neurological complications.
