Transmission of simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS) with blood or filtered plasma.

Simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS), a disease clinically and pathologically similar to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in humans, was transmitted from diseased rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to normal monkeys by inoculation with heparinized whole blood or plasma that had been passed through filters of 0.45 micrometer pore size. This suggests that the causative agent is small and most probably a virus. No viruses, however, were isolated by standard cell culture techniques from the blood or filtered plasma which caused SAIDS. Both cellular and humoral immunity were markedly depressed in animals with advanced SAIDS.

Simian AIDS: isolation of a type D retrovirus and transmission of the disease.

A type D retrovirus related to but distinct from Mason-Pfizer monkey virus was isolated in vitro from the blood of two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS). Three juvenile rhesus monkeys that were injected intravenously with tissue culture fluids containing this virus developed SAIDS after 2 to 4 weeks.

Natural history of endemic type D retrovirus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome in group-housed rhesus monkeys.

A 2.5-year epidemiologic study of a breeding group of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), which is a focus of endemic simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS), demonstrated a strong association between the occurrence of SAIDS and infection with a type D retrovirus, SAIDS retrovirus serotype 1 (SRV-1). Of 23 healthy "tracer" juvenile rhesus monkeys, 19 (83%) died with SAIDS within 9 months of introduction into the resident SAIDS-endemic population. In contrast, 21 healthy "sentinel" juvenile rhesus monkeys placed in the same outdoor enclosure but denied physical contact with the SAIDS-affected group by a 10-foot-wide "buffer zone" remained free of SRV-1, SRV-1 antibody, and disease for 2.5 years. The SAIDS-specific mortality rate was significantly higher in juveniles than in adults. In repeated serologic testing, the overall prevalence of SRV-1 antibody ranged from 68 to 85%. Antibody prevalence increased with age. Seroconversion was found to be a poor indicator of infection rate, as approximately 50% of virus-positive juvenile monkeys had no antibody detectable by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Repeated viral isolations from all animals revealed 1) SRV-1 viremia with clinical SAIDS; 2) persistent viremia and viral shedding in apparently healthy animals; 3) transient viremia and clinical recovery; 4) intermittent viremia, suggesting activation of latent infections; and 5) viremia in a 1-day-old infant, suggesting transplacental transmission. The prevalence of SRV-1 antibody in SAIDS-free breeding groups of rhesus monkeys was 4%. The seroprevalence of antibodies against human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV; formerly STLV-III) was uniformly low or absent in both SAIDS-free and SAIDS-affected groups of rhesus monkeys, demonstrating that these retroviruses are not etiologically linked to SAIDS at the California Primate Research Center.

Inapparent carriers of simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome type D retrovirus and disease transmission with saliva.

Simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome (SAIDS) type D retrovirus (SRV) was isolated from saliva, urine, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a 6-year-old healthy rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) seronegative for antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I, HTLV type III, and simian T-lymphotropic virus type III (STLV-III), identified as an inapparent SAIDS carrier in retrospective epidemiologic studies. This animal was linked to 34 cases of SAIDS over a 3-year period. Two juvenile rhesus monkeys inoculated iv with the SRV-containing saliva from this carrier became persistently infected with the retrovirus and developed SAIDS after 4-6 weeks. Both animals seroconverted to SRV, but neither had detectable preinoculation or postinoculation antibodies against HTLV type I, HTLV type III, or STLV-III. One of these animals died of SAIDS with disseminated cytomegalovirus infection after 24 weeks, and the other remains alive with persistent SRV viremia, generalized lymphadenopathy, and splenomegaly after a transient immunosuppression. Major clinical and pathological features associated with the newly described STLV-III were not observed. SRV was subsequently identified in saliva of 2 additional healthy carriers as well as monkeys with SAIDS. The findings of a carrier state in SAIDS and evidence for saliva transmission of the probable causative virus further support the usefulness of this animal model of nononcogenic immunosuppressive retroviral disease.

Immune defects in simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

We recently reported a Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SAIDS) in rhesus macaques at the California Primate Research Center. Here, we studied in vitro lymphocyte response to the mitogens Concanavalin A (Con A), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) with and without interleukin 2 (IL-2). Immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) and complement (C3 and C4) concentrations were determined by radial immunodiffusion. T helper and T suppressor lymphocytes were identified with the monoclonal antibodies OKT4 and OKT8. Concentrations of IgG and IgM were significantly (p less than .05) decreased. Complement component C3 did not change but C4 was increased. The absolute lymphocyte count decreased but the OKT4:OKT8 ratio was unchanged from controls. A decreased lymphocyte response to all mitogens occurred early and became more severely depressed near death. IL-2 caused a complete or partial restoration of the response to the mitogens CON A and PHA. Both the humoral and cell mediated immune responses are affected in SAIDS. The role of IL-2 in this immune defect must be studied further.

Rotavirus antibody assays on monkey sera: a comparison of enzyme immunoassay with neutralization and complement-fixation tests.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of rotaviral antibodies was developed, using a purified, cell culture-grown SA 11 viral antigen and alkaline phosphatase as an enzyme label. This technique was evaluated by comparative testing with tube neutralization and complement-fixation assays on a collection of simian sera. There was close correlation between positive and negative results obtained by EIA and by neutralization. The EIA was as easy to perform as complement fixation testing, but showed greater sensitivity and fewer nonspecific reactions. Thus, EIA was shown to be a very suitable test for routine detection of rotaviral antibodies in serum. Results of neutralization tests suggested that the monkeys (mostly rhesus macaques) in the present study were infected with viruses varying in their antigenic relatedness to SA 11 virus and to a British isolate of calf rotavirus.

Polyclonal gammopathies associated with chronic diseases in nonhuman primates.

Serum samples collected from clinically healthy rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were compared with serums from animals diagnosed as having malignant lymphoma, atypical tuberculosis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or more than 1 of these. Electrophoretic analyses of serum proteins (in grams per deciliter) indicated that mean values in a clinically normal group were as follows--total protein, 8.30; albumin, 4.07; alpha-globulin, 0.85; beta-globulin, 2.23; and gamma-globulin, 1.15. In macaques with malignant lymphoma, mean values were--total protein, 7.60; albumin, 2.72; alpha-globulin, 0.91; beta-globulin, 1.71; and gamma-globulin, 2.23. In macaques with atypical tuberculosis, these values were 8.47, 2.92, 0.84, 2.18, and 2.52, respectively, and those with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, 9.06, 4.01, 6.71, 2.42, and 1.93. Where multiple serum samples were available from 1 macaque for analysis, gamma-globulin values were increased before clinical disease was apparent. Evaluation of serums from macaques may be used as a means of detecting preclinical lymphoproliferative disease.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection in a group of Macaca fascicularis.

Diarrheal disease associated with abortions and stillbirths occurred in a group of 42 Macaca fascicularis. The group was composed of wild-caught adults and their colony-born offspring housed in a half-acre cage. Thirteen adult females and 1 infant male were affected. All 14 monkeys had diarrhea and all 9 pregnant females either aborted or had a stillbirth. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was isolated from 7 animals. In addition, Y enterocolitica was isolated from 1 monkey and Shigella flexneri type IV was isolated from 5 monkeys. One adult female had a mixed infection of both Y pseudotuberculosis and S flexneri. Every pregnant monkey from which Y pseudotuberculosis was isolated aborted or had a stillbirth. Five animals died, and Y pseudotuberculosis was the only pathogen isolated from these 5 monkeys.

Ketamine immobilization of northern elephant seals.

Ketamine was used as an immobilizing agent to obtain biological specimens from northern elephant seals in their natural habitat. Effective immobilization was achieved with dosages of 1.4 to 6.9 mg/kg of body weight.

Coccidioidomycosis in a rhesus monkey.

Coccidioidomycosis was diagnosed after necropsy of a young adult male rhesus monkey obtained from El Paso, Tx. Clinical signs were confined to the respiratory tract and included tachypnea and dyspnea. Radiographic findings included multiple air-filled cavities and evidence of severe diffuse pulmonary disease. Pathologic changes were confined to the respiratory tract and were representative of the chronic progressive pulmonary form of coccidioidomycosis. Unique features of this case were the massive involvement of the pulmonary parenchyma, the formation of multiple miltiloculated cavities that arose from conducting airways, and the metaplastic epithelial changes within the cavities. Histologic examination revealed numerous spherules characteristic of Coccididioides immitis but an absence of mycelial forms.

Mycobacterium avium infection in three rhesus monkeys.

Naturally occurring Mycobacterium avium infection in 3 rhesus monkeys was characterized clinically and pathologically by intestinal and lymphoreticular involvement. Blood lymphocyte rosette formation and phytomitogen responses were depressed, whereas serum beta and gamma globulin concentrations were increased. Slow-growing, acid-fast, nonchromogenic bacilli isolated from lymph nodes taken at necropsy were identified as M avium serotypes 4, 18, and double types 1 and 8.

Neonatal deaths in bonnet monkeys born to dams with rudimentary papillae mammae.

Deaths due to dehydration and starvation occurred in the early neonatal period in bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) infants housed with their dams in an outdoor half-acre corral. Dams were found to have small, rudimentary papillae mammae of insufficient size to permit suckling. Both papillary and breast tissue of affected dams were histologically normal; the nipples differed macroscopically from those of normal females only in size. This abnormality accounted for half of the neonatal mortality experienced in this breeding colony over a 5-year period.

Effects of ketamine hydrochloride on the hemogram of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Ketamine hydrochloride administration altered the hemogram of rhesus monkeys when compared to physical restraint for venipuncture. The alterations were decreases in the leukocyte count, total plasma proteins, and hematocrit. The decrease in the leukocyte count was due primarily to a decrease in lymphocytes with a smaller decrease in neutrophils.

A survey for Anatrichosoma (Nematoda: Trichinellida) in wild-caught Macaca mulatta.

One hundred rhesus monkeys which were captured from two geographical sites were tested for Anatrichosoma, a nematode that lives in the nasal passages. The monkeys were tested using both fecal examinations and nasal swabs. Three percent of the monkeys from one site were positive, and 68% from the other site were positive. Twenty-one percent of the animals tested by fecal examination were positive and 48% were positive using nasal swab examination.

A survey for intestinal helminths in recently wild-caught Macaca mulatta and results of treatment with mebendazole and thiabendazole.

One hundred Macaca mulatta, trapped in India and transported directly to the California Primate Research Center, were surveyed for the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths. Trichostrongylus sp. was found in 86% of the animals, followed by Strongyloides fulleborni (63%), Streptopharagus sp. (38%), Oesophagostomum sp. (23%) and Anatrichosoma sp. (21%). Treatment with mebendazole and thiabendazole was efficacious against all the intestinal nematodes, with the exception of mebendazole versus Streptopharagus sp.

Infant mortality in Macaca mulatta: neonatal and post-neonatal mortality at the California Primate Research Center, 1968-1972. A retrospective study.

Seven hundred forty-two Macaca mulatta births were recorded at the California Primate Research Center, 1968-1972. The neonatal mortality rate (deaths smaller than or equal to 30 days of age) was 10.8%, and the post-neonatal mortality rate (deaths at 31-183 days) was 6.9%. The neonatal mortality rate was higher in outdoor group cages than in indoor individual cages (24.8 vs. 8.0%). The post-neonatal mortality rate was also higher outdoors than indoors (15.9 vs. 5.9%). Outdoor mortality showed apparent seasonal variation, while indoor mortality did not.

An epidemiological survey of wild caught and domestic born rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) for Anatrichosoma (Nematoda: Trichinellida).

A group of wild caught rhesus monkeys and their domestic born infants were examined for Anatrichosoma, a nematode that inhabits the nasal mucosa and subcutaneous tissue of the face, hands, and feet. The diagnosis was made using nasal swabs. Fifty-four percent of the wild caught animals reported positive ina survey taken 3 years earlier were negative based upon results of reexamination, while one animal was found positive that had been reported negative. None of the infants examined had positive samples for Anatrichosoma.

Response of thyroxine and triiodothyronine to thyroid-stimulating hormone in adult female baboons (Papio cynocephalus).

The thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) response of the female baboon to injection of exogenous thyroid stimulating hormone was studied. This response established reference values for baseline and post-stimulation serum levels of T4 and T3. The reference values for T4 and T3 by radioimmunoassay were 9.9 +/- 2.2 micrograms/dl and 121 +/- 18 ng/dl, respectively. The T4 response to thyroid-stimulating hormone reached its peak level of 22.7 +/- 1.8 micrograms/dl at 12 +/- 2.5 hours. The corresponding peak response for the T3 was 351 +/- 61 ng/dl which occurred at 8.0 +/- 2.5 hours. The T3 response was more rapid and reached its peak earlier than T4.