Increased virus replication and virulence after serial passage of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 in baboons

Abstract

Similar to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of humans, the natural history of HIV-2 infection in baboons (Papio cynocephalus) is a slow and chronic disease that generally takes several years before an AIDS-like condition develops. To shorten the amount of time to the development of disease, we performed five serial passages of HIV-2(UC2) in baboons by using blood and bone marrow samples during the acute phase of infection when viral loads were at high levels. After these serial passages, virus levels in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and lymphatic tissues in the acutely infected baboons were increased. Within 1 year of the HIV-2 infection, all of the inoculated baboons showed specific signs of AIDS-related disease progression within the lymphatic tissues, such as vascular proliferation and lymphoid depletion. The HIV-2(UC2) recovered after four serial passages showed increased kinetics of viral replication in baboon PBMC and cytopathicity. This study suggests that the HIV-2 isolate recovered after several serial passages in baboons will be useful in future studies of AIDS pathogenesis and vaccine development by using this animal model.

FIG. 1.

Serial passage of HIV-2_UC-2 isolates in baboons. Samples (10 ml of whole blood and 3 ml of bone marrow aspirates) were taken from baboons infected with HIV-2_UC2 only. The first uninfected baboon (animal 12281) received 10,000 TCID₅₀ of HIV-2_UC2/9429 isolated from a baboon (animal 9429) with an AIDS-like disease (3). Serial passages were then made at shorter intervals of time as indicated.

FIG. 2.

RNA viral loads in plasma in HIV-2-infected baboons inoculated with serial passages in virus in blood and bone marrow. HIV-2 RNA was measured by quantitative PCR amplification of the long terminal repeat region. The highest levels of plasma viremia were noted after the third serial passage (baboon 11966).