Rhesus macaque. Wikimeda Commons. J.M.Garg.Pathogenic infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a relative of HIV that infects non-human primates, is associated with increased diversity of gastrointestinal virus species in rhesus macaques, according to findings published today (October 11) in Cell. Though previous work has implicated intestinal bacteria in stimulating chronic inflammation, which is believed to promote progression from HIV or SIV infection to AIDS, the new findings suggest that gut viruses may also play a role.
“This elegant study takes [the role of the gut microbiome] to another level, suggesting the idea that these viruses could be opportunistic infections in the gut of these monkeys,” said microbiologist Donald Sodora, at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, who did not participate in the study. In turn, the immune response caused by these viral infections could then fuel the progression of SIV to AIDS.
Some monkey species can be infected with SIV without acquiring full-blown AIDS, while others routinely contract the disease. One difference between these primates appears to be their immune response, with those that develop AIDs showing signs of immune hyperactivation, such as higher levels of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines and activated T cells. This suggests that such excessive inflammation is an ...
