SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF SIMIAN RETROVIRUS TYPE-D SEROTYPE-1, SEROTYPE-2, AND SEROTYPE-3 BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Asymptomatic infection of macaques with simian retroviruses type D (SR V/D), the etiologic agents of one form of retrovirus-induced simian im munodeficiency disease, can confound experiments with the simian immun odeficiency virus (SIV), which also induces immunodeficiency disease i n macaques. The SIV/macaque model is the preferred nonhuman primate mo del for AIDS-related research, Serological screening for SRV/D alone i s insufficient because not all infected animals seroconvert, and virus isolation by cocultivation may require 4 to 6 weeks, We have establis hed a DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, One set of nested pri mers allows detection of SRV/D serotypes 1, 2, and 3 and distinguishes SRV-2 from the other two serotypes, The PCR assay is sensitive; a sin gle proviral copy of SRV/D could be detected in 150,000 to 210,000 mac aque peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), When applied to a pan el of virus isolation-positive macaque samples, the PCR assay was posi tive in 100% of the tests, No false-positive results were seen when kn own specific-pathogen-free (SPF) macaques were examined, We propose th at macaques be screened with a combination of SRV/D serology and this DNA PCR assay prior to enrollment in experiments with SIV.