Experimental leprosy in rhesus monkeys: transmission, susceptibility, clinical and immunological findings

A total of 46 Rhesus monkeys (RM) was inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae (ML) and followed clinically and immunologically for extended periods. Twenty-one (45.7%) of the RM developed leprosy spanning the known leprosy spectrum, with six of 21 (28.6%) having disease in the borderline lepromatous to lepromatous area of the spectrum. RM with paucibacillary forms of leprosy produced predominantly IgG anti-phenolic glycolipid (PGL-I) antibodies and positive lepromin skin test and/or in vitro blastogenesis responses; IgM anti-PGL-I predominated in animals with BB-LL leprosy and correlated with negative immune responses to lepromin. IgG anti-PGL-I antibodies persisted in a number of RM for several years without histopathological evidence of leprosy, suggesting possible persisting subclinical infection. The data show that RM are a valuable model for the study of leprosy. Eleven of the 46 RM were inoculated with ML from sources infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the monkey counterpart to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The possible effect of SIV on the clinical outcome of ML infection could not be determined due to insufficient numbers of animals to yield statistically significant results.