Physiologic changes in a nonhuman primate model of HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is increased in HIV, but its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Nonhuman primates infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or SIV-HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) exhibit histologic changes characteristic of human PAH, but whether hemodynamic changes accompany this pathology is unknown. Repeated measurements of pulmonary artery pressures would permit longitudinal assessments of disease development and provide insights into pathogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that SIV-infected and SHIV-infected macaques develop physiologic manifestations of PAH. We performed right heart catheterizations, echocardiography, and computed tomography (CT) scans in macaques infected with either SIV (ΔB670) or SHIV (89.6P), and compared right heart and pulmonary artery pressures, as well as pulmonary vascular changes on CT scans, with those in uninfected control animals. Right atrial, right ventricular systolic, and pulmonary artery pressures (PAPs) were significantly elevated in 100% of macaques infected with either SIV or SHIV compared with control animals, with no difference in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. PAPs increased as early as 3 months after SIV infection. Radiographic evidence of pulmonary vascular pruning was also found. Both SIV-infected and SHIV-infected macaques exhibited histologic changes in pulmonary arteries, predominantly consisting of intimal and medial hyperplasia. This report is the first to demonstrate SHIV-infected and SIV-infected macaques develop pulmonary hypertension at a high frequency, with physiologic changes occurring as early as 3 months after infection. These studies establish an important nonhuman primate model of HIV-associated PAH that will be useful in studies of disease pathogenesis and the efficacy of interventions.

Persistent pneumocystis colonization leads to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a nonhuman primate model of AIDS.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are at increased risk for development of pulmonary complications, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Inflammation associated with subclinical infection has been postulated to promote COPD. Persistence of Pneumocystis is associated with HIV infection and COPD, although a causal relationship has not been established. We used a simian/human immunodeficiency virus model of HIV infection to study pulmonary effects of Pneumocystis colonization. Simian/human immunodeficiency virus-infected/Pneumocystis-colonized monkeys developed progressive obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by increased emphysematous tissue and bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue. Increased levels of T helper type 2 cytokines and proinflammatory mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid coincided with Pneumocystis colonization and a decline in pulmonary function. These results support the concept that an infectious agent contributes to the development of HIV-associated lung disease and suggest that Pneumocystis colonization may be a risk factor for the development of HIV-associated COPD. Furthermore, this model allows examination of early host responses important to disease progression, thus identifying potential therapeutic targets for COPD.

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment does not reverse obstructive pulmonary changes in pneumocystis-colonized nonhuman primates with SHIV infection.

BACKGROUND: Despite antiretroviral therapy and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis, Pneumocystis pneumonia remains an important serious opportunistic infection in HIV-infected persons. Pneumocystis (Pc) colonization in HIV-infected individuals and in HIV-uninfected smokers is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We previously developed a nonhuman primate model of HIV infection and Pc colonization and demonstrated that Pc colonization correlated with COPD development. In the present study, we examined kinetics of COPD development in non-human primate and tested the effect of Pc burden reduction on pulmonary function by TMP-SMX treatment. METHODS: Cynomolgus macaques (n = 16) were infected with simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV89.6P), and natural Pc colonization was examined by nested polymerase chain reaction of serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and anti-Pc serology. RESULTS: Eleven of 16 monkeys became Pc colonized by 16 weeks post simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection. Pc colonization of SHIV-infected monkeys led to progressive declines in pulmonary function as early as 4 weeks after Pc detection. SHIV-infected and Pc-negative monkeys maintained normal lung function. At 25 weeks post-SHIV infection, TMP-SMX treatment was initiated in 7 Pc-positive (Pc+) (TMP: 20 mg/kg and SMX: 100 mg/kg, daily for 48 weeks) and 5 Pc-negative (Pc-) monkeys. Four SHIV+/Pc+ remained untreated for the duration of the experiment. Detection frequency of Pc in serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P < 0.001), as well as plasma Pc antibody titers (P = 0.02) were significantly reduced in TMP-SMX-treated macaques compared with untreated. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of Pc colonization by TMP-SMX treatment did not improve pulmonary function, supporting the concept that Pc colonization results in early, permanent obstructive changes in the lungs of immunosuppressed macaques.

Biolistic DNA vaccination against Trypanosoma infection.

Immunization to protect against Trypanosoma cruzi infection has the potential to greatly decrease the burden of Chagas' disease in the Americas. Several target antigens have been explored by multiple investigators and show promise, but given that this parasite has multiple stages within the mammalian host, with both intracellular and extracellular forms, a multivalent vaccine will probably be necessary to provide complete immunity and prevent disease. Therefore, DNA immunization is an attractive method for efficient and effective delivery of multiple target antigens. In addition, the target population for a T. cruzi vaccine lives predominately in poorer rural areas in South America, making the stable DNA-gold precipitate, which does not require a cold-chain, used in biolistic immunization an attractive method for vaccination. Here we describe a biolistic immunization protocol that is capable of generating high titer antibody responses to recombinant T. cruzi vaccine targets and the in vitro preparation of T. cruzi for use in experimental vaccine challenge studies.

Specific humoral immunity versus polyclonal B cell activation in Trypanosoma cruzi infection of susceptible and resistant mice.

BACKGROUND: The etiologic agent of Chagas Disease is Trypanosoma cruzi. Acute infection results in patent parasitemia and polyclonal lymphocyte activation. Polyclonal B cell activation associated with hypergammaglobulinemia and delayed specific humoral immunity has been reported during T. cruzi infection in experimental mouse models. Based on preliminary data from our laboratory we hypothesized that variances in susceptibility to T. cruzi infections in murine strains is related to differences in the ability to mount parasite-specific humoral responses rather than polyclonal B cell activation during acute infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Relatively susceptible Balb/c and resistant C57Bl/6 mice were inoculated with doses of parasite that led to similar timing and magnitude of initial parasitemia. Longitudinal analysis of parasite-specific and total circulating antibody levels during acute infection demonstrated that C57Bl/6 mice developed parasite-specific antibody responses by 2 weeks post-infection with little evidence of polyclonal B cell activation. The humoral response in C57Bl/6 mice was associated with differential activation of B cells and expansion of splenic CD21(high)CD23(low) Marginal Zone (MZ) like B cells that coincided with parasite-specific antibody secreting cell (ASC) development in the spleen. In contrast, susceptible Balb/c mice demonstrated early activation of B cells and early expansion of MZ B cells that preceded high levels of ASC without apparent parasite-specific ASC formation. Cytokine analysis demonstrated that the specific humoral response in the resistant C57Bl/6 mice was associated with early T-cell helper type 1 (Th1) cytokine response, whereas polyclonal B cell activation in the susceptible Balb/c mice was associated with sustained Th2 responses and delayed Th1 cytokine production. The effect of Th cell bias was further demonstrated by differential total and parasite-specific antibody isotype responses in susceptible versus resistant mice. T cell activation and expansion were associated with parasite-specific humoral responses in the resistant C57Bl/6 mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study indicate that resistant C57Bl/6 mice had improved parasite-specific humoral responses that were associated with decreased polyclonal B cell activation. In general, Th2 cytokine responses are associated with improved antibody response. But in the context of parasite infection, this study shows that Th2 cytokine responses were associated with amplified polyclonal B cell activation and diminished specific humoral immunity. These results demonstrate that polyclonal B cell activation during acute experimental Chagas disease is not a generalized response and suggest that the nature of humoral immunity during T. cruzi infection contributes to host susceptibility.