[Morphological characteristics of the course of HIV infection in laboratory animals]

The integrative form of infection was obtained in cotton rats intraperitoneally or retrobulbarly infected with the highly-productive strain Zmb HIV-1. Clinically, it appeared as reduced animal weight gain and high mortality rates in the disease terminal stage. The proviral DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction in the genomes of cerebral and splenic cells in most animals. A comprehensive study of the time course of morphological changes within 6 months showed impairments in some CNS cells, giving rise to glial nodules and neurone dystrophy. It should be noted that the most profound changes were observed when the virus had been intraperitoneally injected. It was found that some pathomorphological changes were similar to those seen in human neuro-AIDS. In the spleen, HIV-1 first stimulated an immune response, caused an increase in the extent of white bulb follicles and an active formation of germinative centers, then involution of lymphoid formations took place.