CHANGES IN SERUM ANTIOXIDANT CONCENTRATIONS DURING INFECTION WITH CAPRINE LENTIVIRUS

We are currently using caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) inf ection in goats as a model to understand changes in some clinical para meters and host response to infection with human immunodeficiency viru s (HIV). The objective of this study was to measure changes in serum a ntioxidant activities in various age groups of goats infected with CAE V. Serum from CAEV-infected goats had significantly higher catalase ac tivity (105.47 +/- 5.96 kU/l) than serum from healthy control goats (7 9.92 +/- 17.06 kU/l). Moreover, serum catalase activity increased with increase in the time after infection with CAEV. No change was observe d in total superoxide dismutase (SOD) or glutathione peroxidase activi ty although CuZn SOD levels were elevated in infected goats. There was a positive correlation between serum catalase activity and hydrogen p eroxide (H2O2) scavenging activity (r=0.70, p<0.05). In order to inves tigate cell membrane integrity, we determined lactate dehydrogenase (L DH) activity in infected goats. Although there was a transient increas e in LDH no correlation was observed between increased serum catalase activity and LDH activity (r=0.16, p>0.05). We have earlier observed d ecreased oxyradical production in CAEV infected goats. This observed i ncrease in serum catalase, a scavenger of endogenous free radicals suc h as H2O2 may be partly responsible for the observed decrease in oxyge n radicals found in vivo.