An erythematous maculopapular eruption in macaques infected with an HTLV-III-like virus (STLV-III)

Abstract

A cutaneous maculopapular eruption has been previously described in humans infected with HTLV-III/LAV, the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In this study, rhesus monkeys were prospectively examined after infection with an HTLV-III-like virus (STLV-III) to ascertain the incidence and clinical course of gross and histologic alterations of the skin. Between 1-3 weeks after inoculation, 83% of infected animals developed a transient cutaneous maculopapular eruption of the face, groin, and trunk. Histologically, the affected skin was characterized by a superficial perivascular infiltrate of mononuclear cells with associated endothelial cell hypertrophy and degeneration. This eruption preceded opportunistic infections, neoplasms, and other overt clinical signs commonly associated with an immunodeficiency syndrome. The findings suggest that STLV-III infection in the rhesus monkey closely simulates that which occurs in HTLV-III-infected individuals, and that the skin may represent a site of altered immunoregulation early in the course of this disease.