This Article Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: JVI.02555-07v1 82/11/5501    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pandrea, I. Articles by Apetrei, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pandrea, I. Articles by Apetrei, C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J. Virol. doi:10.1128/JVI.02555-07
Copyright (c) 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Paucity of CD4⁺CCR5⁺ T-Cells May Prevent Breastfeeding Transmission of SIV in Natural Non-Human Primate Hosts

Departement de Virologie, and Centre de Primatologie, Centre International de Recherches Medicales, Franceville, Gabon; Divisions, of Comparative Pathology, and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Science Center, Covington, LA, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA; Laboratoire de Virologie, Hopital St. Louis, Paris, France; Service d'Immuno-Virologie/UMR E1, Paris XI CENFAR, Fontenay aux Roses, France

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: capetrei{at}tulane.edu.

	Abstract

SIV persistence in wild populations of African non-human primates (NHPs) may occur through horizontal and vertical transmission. However, the mechanism(s) and timing of the latter type of transmission have not been investigated to date. Here we present the first study of SIV transmissibility by breastfeeding in an African NHP host. Six mandrill dames were infected with plasma containing 300 TCID₅₀ SIVmnd-1 the day after the delivery. All female mandrills became infected, as demonstrated by both plasma viral loads (VLs) and anti-SIVmnd-1 seroconversion. Neither fever nor lymphadenopathy were observed. At the peak of SIVmnd-1 viral replication (days 7-10 post-inoculation), plasma VLs were high (8x10⁶-10⁸ RNA copies/ml) and paralleled by high VLs in milk (4.7x10⁴-5.6x10⁵ RNA/ml). However, at the end of the breastfeeding period, after six months of follow-up, no sign of infection was observed in the offspring. Later on, during a 4 year follow-up, two of the offspring showed virological evidences of SIVmnd-1 infection. Both seroconverted following at least 6 months since the interruption of lactation. In conclusion, despite extensive viral replication in mandrill mothers and high levels of free virus in milk, no SIVmnd-1 transmission was detectable at the time of breastfeeding or during the following months. Since we observed a markedly lower expression of CCR5 on the CD4⁺ T-cells of young mandrills and AGMs when compared with adults, we propose that low levels of this viral co-receptor on CD4⁺ T-cells may be involved in the lack of breastfeeding transmission in natural hosts of SIVs.