INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA, INTERLEUKIN-6, TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA, AND INTERLEUKIN-10 RESPONSES IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS OF CYNOMOLGUS MACAQUES DURING ACUTE INFECTION WITH SIVMAC251

HIV infection ultimately leads to AIDS, despite the immune responses e licited soon after infection. In addition to the observed changes in l ymphoid cell subsets, alteration of the cytokine network most likely a ccompanies and/or contributes to the lack of protective immune respons es. In an attempt to delineate the early events in the immune response to lentivirus infection, we have sequentially monitored levels of pro inflammatory (IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha) and antiinflammatory (IL -10) cytokine mRNAs in PBMCs of cynomolgus macaques during primary SIV mac infection, Eight monkeys were infected i.v. with 4 AID(50) of cell -free SIVmac251. All monkeys seroconverted between days 16 and 21 post infection (p.i.), and had detectable peripheral viremia, The viral loa d peaked between days 12 and 16 p.i., and fell sharply thereafter, A m arked increase in the expression of IL-6 mRNA was observed in all maca ques during the first weeks following infection. An increase in the le vels of expression of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 mRNA was also de termined in six, six, and five of the eight monkeys, respectively, Whi le IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 increased transiently, increased levels of IL-1 beta mRNA expression were sustained over 44 days in most monke ys.