Infection of cynomolgus monkeys with HIV-2 protects against pathogenic consequences of a subsequent simian immunodeficiency virus infection

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in cynomolgus macaques leads to severe immunodeficiency with a fatal outcome. In contrast, HIV-2 infects these primates without apparently causing any immunological abnormalities. In this study three cynomolgus monkeys were experimentally infected with HIV-2 strain SBL-K135 and 168 days later challenged with 10-100 animal infectious doses of the closely related SIV strain SM to study protective immunity. At the time of SIV challenge the HIV-2-infected monkeys had neutralizing antibodies against HIV-2, but virus could no longer be recovered from their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and no clinical symptoms or decrease in CD4+ lymphocytes were observed. Follow-up for 9 months after challenge with SIV showed that the HIV-2-infected monkeys were protected against SIV-induced immunodeficiency (no decrease of CD4+ lymphocytes) and lymphadenopathy. However, they were not resistant to SIV infection since virus could be recovered from their PBMCs and they developed anamnestic antibody responses. Four naive control monkeys which were inoculated with the same dose of SIV became persistently infected and developed a decrease of the absolute numbers of CD4+ cells and showed a marked lymphadenopathy. Two out of four control animals died 58-265 days postinfection with an immunosuppressive disease. Immunohistochemical examination showed abundant viral antigen in lymph-node biopsies from the SIV-infected control monkeys but absence of SIV or HIV-2 antigens in the biopsies from the three HIV-2-preinfected and SIV-superinfected monkeys. The present study demonstrates possibilities for induction of immunity against immunodeficiency induced by a primate lentivirus, a concept with application also to HIV infection and AIDS in man.