TEMPORAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERFERON-ALPHA AND P27 CORE ANTIGEN LEVELS IN SERA OF SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED MONKEYS

We report the temporal association of interferon (IFN) and p27 core an tigen production during experimental simian immunodeficiency virus Del ta B670 (SIV) infection in rhesus monkeys. Peak serum IFN-alpha levels (10(2.8-5.0)U/ml) occurred 10 days post infection (p.i.) and peak p27 levels (3.1-34.4 ng/ml) occurred 10-14 days p.i. Acid-stable IFN-alph a (10(1.6-2.5)U/ml) was detected 3-5 days before p27 in sera from thre e monkeys and was detected with p27 (0.06-3.06 ng/ml) in four monkeys during the primary infection. Serum IFN-alpha and p27 levels became un detectable 24-40 days p.i. Two monkeys remained asymptomatic for SIV a fter the primary p27 antigenaemia, three monkeys had recrudescent (3-4 months p.i.) acid stable interferonaemias (10(1-2.5)U/ml) with p27 an tigenaemias (0.06-2.7 ng/ml) that persisted until death, and two monke ys had acute SIV infections (died less than or equal to 7 months p.i.) with persistent acid-stable interferonaemia (10(1.6-2.5)U/ml) and p27 antigenaemia (6-9 ng/ml). Our results indicate that the detection of acid-stable IFN-alpha in serum is closely associated with detection of p27 (P=0.0001) and suggest that detection of acid-stable IFN-alpha an d p27 core antigen is indicative of active SIV infection. (C) 1996 Aca demic Press Limited