CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS COINFECTION - LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF ANTIBODY-RESPONSES AND DISEASE PROGRESSION

Antibody titers to rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) were prospectively a nalyzed over a period of 68 weeks in a longitudinal serosurvey of 17 R hCMV-seropositive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) experimentally coin fected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). These were compared w ith anti-RhCMV titers in Is animals that were also naturally infected with RhCMV but not infected with SIV. Fluctuations in anti-RhCMV antib ody titers were observed within 5 weeks of SIV inoculation, and two di stinct patterns of RhCMV antibody response were observed in SIV-infect ed animals. Animals showing a progressive decline in anti-RhCMV immuno globulin G (IgG) exhibited the most rapid disease progression, coincid ent with low anti-SIV and anti-tetanus toroid IgG responses, high leve ls of p27 antigen in the plasma, and short survival. Animals exhibitin g a more stable CMV-specific response after SIV inoculation had the le ast rapid disease course. Anti-RhCMV antibody titers in SIV-uninfected animals remained relatively stable during the period of study. Eviden ce that preinoculation immunologic measures predicted postinoculation outcome was equivocal.