TRANSFER OF NEUROPATHOGENIC SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS WITH NATURALLY INFECTED MICROGLIA

The central nervous system (CNS) is a target for human immunodeficienc y virus infection, and, in individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, this can lead to a devastating dementia. Only certain viral variants appear capable of invading the CNS and infecting microglia a nd brain macrophages. To determine whether the virus entering the brai n may be particularly pathogenic to the CNS, we isolated microglia fro m the brains of simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys. Serial transfer of these cells into naive animals indicated that prod uctive simian immunodeficiency, virus infection could indeed he transf erred. Furthermore, CNS infection occurred within a relatively, short time span and was associated with viral gene expression In the brain a nd pathology characteristic of human immunodeficiency, virus encephali tis. While demonstrating that neuropathogenic variants partition into the CNS, our approach will allow the dissection of functional neuropat hogenic elements present in these viruses.