Gormus B J, Murphey-Corb M, Martin L N, Baskin G B, Mack P A, Xu K, Ratteree M S, Gerone P J, Scollard D M, Gillis T P
Department of Microbiology, Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA.
Lepr Rev. 1998 Mar;69(1):24-39. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19980004.
Seven of eight rhesus monkeys (RM) coinfected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and Mycobacterium leprae harboured acid-fast bacilli (AFB) at sites of dermal inoculation and/or at disseminated sites at times of humane sacrifice (up to 270 days post-M. leprae inoculation) due to SIV-induced debilitation or, in one long term survivor's case, to date over 3 years post-M. leprae inoculation. Detectable AFB were cleared in biopsies of inoculation sites of RM inoculated with M. leprae alone after 63 days postinoculation; these sites have, so far, remained AFB-negative, thereafter. Compared to animals infected with M. leprae alone, RM coinfected with SIV plus M. leprae showed: 1, completely suppressed serum antibody responses to M. leprae-specific PGL-I antigen, but strong anti-SIV Gp120 antibody responses; 2, impaired sensitization of blood mononuclear cells (MNC) to in vitro recognition of M. leprae-specific antigens in blastogenic stimulation assays; 3, impaired in vitro responses of blood MNC to nonspecific (ConA) blastogenic stimuli; and 4, early post-M. leprae inoculation, there was a significant incremental diminution of percentages of blood CD4+CD29+ T-cells in addition to the existing SIV-induced diminished percentages of CD4+CD29+ T-cells. The results indicate that humoral and cellular immune responses to M. leprae antigens are compromised in M. leprae-inoculated RM previously infected with SIV. These results provide an immunologic basis for the demonstration of enhanced M. leprae persistence or leprosy susceptibility in SIV-M. leprae coinfected RM.
8只感染猴免疫缺陷病毒（SIV）和麻风分枝杆菌的恒河猴（RM）中，有7只在因SIV导致身体虚弱而实施安乐死时（麻风分枝杆菌接种后长达270天），在皮肤接种部位和/或播散部位检出抗酸杆菌（AFB）；在1只长期存活的恒河猴中，在麻风分枝杆菌接种后3年多仍可检出。单独接种麻风分枝杆菌的恒河猴在接种63天后，接种部位活检中可检测到的AFB被清除；此后，这些部位一直保持AFB阴性。与单独感染麻风分枝杆菌的动物相比，同时感染SIV和麻风分枝杆菌的恒河猴表现为：1. 对麻风分枝杆菌特异性酚糖脂-1（PGL-I）抗原的血清抗体反应完全受到抑制，但对SIV Gp120抗体反应强烈；2. 在致有丝分裂原刺激试验中，血液单核细胞（MNC）对麻风分枝杆菌特异性抗原的体外识别致敏受损；3. 血液MNC对非特异性（刀豆蛋白A）致有丝分裂原刺激的体外反应受损；4. 在麻风分枝杆菌接种后早期，除了现有的SIV诱导的CD4+CD29+ T细胞百分比降低外，血液中CD4+CD29+ T细胞百分比显著进一步降低。结果表明，在先前感染SIV的接种麻风分枝杆菌的恒河猴中，对麻风分枝杆菌抗原的体液免疫和细胞免疫反应均受到损害。这些结果为在SIV-麻风分枝杆菌共同感染的恒河猴中证明麻风分枝杆菌持续存在增强或麻风易感性提供了免疫学基础。
