INFECTION OF CHIMPANZEES BY HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC RETROVIRUSES IN BRAIN AND OTHER TISSUES FROM AIDS PATIENTS

The authors report the isolation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) associated retroviruses from packed leukocytes of 2 chimpanzees inoculated intracerebrally and intravenously with brain tissue suspension from 2 patients with AIDS encephalopathy on days 7 and 14 after inoculation. Antibody to the AIDS-associated retroviruses has appeared in sera of 2 chimpanzees inoculated intravenously with plasma from different AIDS patients in 1 chimpanzee inoculated intravenously with brain and thymus suspension and in 1 chimpanzee inoculated intracerebrally with brain tissue suspension from a patient with AIDS encephalopathy. 11 chimpanzees inoculated with supernatant fluids from tissue cultures infected with human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) and IDAV have acquired antibodies to the LAV/HTLV-III viral antigens 2-8 weeks after inoculation. Virus was recovered from the lymphocytes of all 6 seroconverted animals between 8-154 days after primary inoculation of HTLV-III. 2 animals have severe suppression of T-cell function. However all 23 chimpanzees that have seroconverted to HTLV-III or LAV antigen have remained clinically well for 2-15 months of follow-up. There have been no tumors lymphadenopathy or severe opportunistuc infections. Other species of non-human primates similarly inoculated with HTLV-III and LAV have not seroconverted 2-10 months postinoculation. These findings confirm the active and persistent virus infection of chimpanzees with retroviruses derived from AIDS patients. They further establish the presence of viruses in the plasma and brain of AIDS patients by direct transmission of their virus to chimpanzees.