Comparison of SIV/SMM replication in CD4+ T cell and monocyte/macrophage cultures from rhesus macaques and sooty mangabeys.

Monocytes from SIV/SMM infected sooty mangabeys and rhesus macaques were incubated in vitro with live SIV/SMM. The reverse transcriptase (RT) activity in the supernatant fluids of the monocyte cultures of the former species was higher than the RT activity in the latter species. No differences were found in the supernatant fluid of similar cultures of CD4+ T cells from both these species. Autologous (but not allogeneic) CD8+ T cells from SIV infected mangabeys and rhesus macaques inhibited SIV replication in vitro. The suppression appeared more marked in monocytes from the mangabey species. These in vitro differences may relate to the clinically asymptomatic state of the sooty mangabeys and the disease-susceptible state of the rhesus macaques.