ABSTRACT
Vaccine vectors derived from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) that expressed simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) immunogens were tested in rhesus macaques as part of the effort to design a safe and effective vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus. Immunization with VEE replicon particles induced both humoral and cellular immune responses. Four of four vaccinated animals were protected against disease for at least 16 months following intravenous challenge with a pathogenic SIV swarm, while two of four controls required euthanasia at 10 and 11 weeks. Vaccination reduced the mean peak viral load 100-fold. The plasma viral load was reduced to below the limit of detection (1,500 genome copies/ml) in one vaccinated animal between 6 and 16 weeks postchallenge and in another from week 6 through the last sampling time (40 weeks postchallenge). The extent of reduction in challenge virus replication was directly correlated with the strength of the immune response induced by the vectors, which suggests that vaccination was effective.
Subject(s)
Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine/genetics , Replicon/genetics , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/immunology , Vaccines, Synthetic/administration & dosage , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/biosynthesis , Cytotoxicity, Immunologic , Genes, Viral , Genetic Vectors , Macaca mulatta , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/genetics , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/pathogenicity , Vaccines, Synthetic/geneticsABSTRACT
This study sought to determine risk factors for genital infection with papillomavirus (HPV) in Panamanian women 20-49 years old. Subjects were randomly selected from Herrera and Panama provinces (cervical cancer incidence 79 and 25/100,000, respectively). Participants were interviewed to determine sexual behavior. Cervicovaginal lavage specimens were obtained to test for HPV DNA by commercial dot blot hybridization. HPV-16/18 DNA was detected significantly more frequently (5%) in Panama than Herrera (2%) samples (P = .002). Clearly, infection with high-risk HPV types alone cannot account for the differences in cervical cancer incidence between the two populations. HPV-16/18 detection decreased with increasing years of sexual experience among all women in Panama and among women with multiple partners in Herrera. However, HPV-16/18 detection did not change with sexual experience among monogamous women in Herrera. Thus, the epidemiology of HPV is complex and reflects both virus- and population-specific factors.
Subject(s)
Genital Diseases, Female/epidemiology , Papillomaviridae , Papillomavirus Infections/epidemiology , Tumor Virus Infections/epidemiology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/epidemiology , Adult , Age Factors , DNA, Viral/analysis , Female , Genital Diseases, Female/pathology , Genital Diseases, Female/virology , Humans , Middle Aged , Panama/epidemiology , Papillomaviridae/isolation & purification , Papillomavirus Infections/pathology , Random Allocation , Risk Factors , Rural Health/statistics & numerical data , Sexual Behavior , Tumor Virus Infections/pathology , Urban Health/statistics & numerical data , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/virologyABSTRACT
The rev gene product is a trans-acting nuclear regulatory protein that is essential for AIDS virus replication. To define the effect of the SIV rev gene on its gp160 expression, two SV40 constructs have been made: pBC17 is a rev+env+ construct, and pBD21 is a rev-env+ construct. After transfecting the constructs into COS-1 cells, RNA, protein, syncytium formation, and monoclonal antibody blocking assays were performed. The results indicated that the SIV rev gene positively influenced the level of full-length env mRNA and was required for expression of SIV gp160.