SERUM INHIBITORS PRECEDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SAIDS

Rhesus macaque monkeys infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus develop a syndrome mimicking AIDS in humans. We have demonstrated pre viously that sera from individuals infected with human immunodeficienc y virus type 1 inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes from healthy n oninfected subjects and that this phenomenon is associated with the de velopment of clinical AIDS. We have also shown that sera from monkeys infected with SIV also have such inhibitors. In this body of work, we attempted to document the onset of these inhibitors in relation to the time of SIV infection. Twenty rhesus macaques were injected with one of two tissue strains of SIV or media. Blood was drawn on a set schedu le and the serum samples frozen at -70-degrees-C. The animals were mon itored and observed for up to 42 weeks. All test animals were autopsie d. Sera from all the draws were assayed against the same populations o f human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the same experiment usin g suboptimal amounts of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Sera from those anim als that subsequently developed SAIDS were more likely to demonstrate serum inhibition. This inhibition could be seen as early as 8-10 weeks after infection. By week 14, the assay could differentiate animals in to SAIDS or healthy groups with a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 89%.