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Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
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Oral SIV, SHIV, and HIV type 1 infection

R M Ruprecht1, T W Baba, V Liska

  • 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
|May 15, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) can infect macaques through intact oral mucosal surfaces. This finding highlights potential risks for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission during oral-genital contact.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are lentiviruses that cause immunodeficiency.
  • Mucosal transmission is a key route for lentivirus infection.
  • Understanding SIV oral transmission in macaques provides a model for HIV-1 transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficiency of SIV oral mucosal transmission in rhesus macaques.
  • To determine if intact mucosal surfaces are a barrier to oral SIV infection.
  • To assess the implications for HIV-1 transmission.

Main Methods:

  • Oral inoculation of adult and neonatal rhesus macaques with various SIV and SHIV strains (cell-free and infected whole blood).
  • Assessment of viremia and disease development post-inoculation.
  • Comparison of oral versus rectal routes for SIV entry efficiency.

Main Results:

  • SIV strains, including uncloned and molecularly cloned, successfully crossed intact oral mucosal surfaces in both adult and neonatal macaques.
  • Oral inoculation with cell-free SIV and infected whole blood led to systemic infection and disease.
  • Neonatal macaques were persistently infected after oral exposure to a chimeric SHIV strain.
  • The oral route was more efficient than the rectal route for SIV entry in adult macaques after non-traumatic inoculation.

Conclusions:

  • Intact oral mucosal surfaces are permissive to SIV infection.
  • Oral exposure to various SIV strains, including T-cell tropic variants, can lead to systemic infection and disease.
  • The efficiency of oral SIV transmission has significant implications for understanding HIV-1 transmission during oral-genital contact.

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