Traditional Chinese Medicine etiology and pathogenesis of ac- quired immune deficiency syndrome in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected Chinese rhesus macaques

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） etiology and pathogenesis of ac- quired immune deficiency syndrome （AIDS） by 18-month observation of Chinese rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus （SIV） mac239. METHODS： Thirty-five healthy Chinese rhesus ma- caques were divided into a model group （n=30） and a control group （n=5）. The model was estab- lished by inoculating monkeys intravenously with SIVmac239. Changes in TCM symptoms after SIV in- fection within 18 months were then observed and recorded. Routine blood tests, SIV viral load, T-lym-phocyte subsets, plasma triiodothyronine （T3）, tet- raiodothyronine （14）, adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH） and cortisol （Cor） were tested periodically during the experiment. RESULTS： During the acute infection period of SIV, model monkeys temporarily showed clinical symp- toms such as diarrhea, dysphoria and slight weight loss. Decrease percentages of CD4~ T-lymphocytes were observed but levels of T3, 14, Cot, and ACTH were relatively unchanged. Monkeys in the model group during the early and middle periods of infec- tion showed no obvious symptoms, except few monkeys exhibited transient diarrhea and reduced food intake. All variables at this stage showed nor- mal fluctuations. In the middle period model group monkeys showed chronic and persistent diarrhea, weight loss, reduced food intake and low levels of 13 and Cot. In the late period, symptoms including emaciation, weight loss, listlessness, crouching in corners and low levels of T3appeared. CONCLUSION： The results suggest that the rhesus monkey SIWSAIDS model can be applied to re- search on TCM etiology and pathogenesis of AIDS. According to this model, the etiology of disease is the SIV virus. The pathogenesis manifests as the in- vasion of SIV virus, incubation of the virus, balance between virus and healthy ＂Qi＂, damage to spleen and kidney as the disease progressed, exhaustion of vitality and finally the failure of five zang and six fu organs.