Viral Testing Core Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), Simian T Lymphotropic Virus (STLV), Simian type D retroviruses (SRV), and Macacine herpesvirus 1 (B-virus) could present confounding scientific problems and health challenges to AIDS researchers at Emory University using nonhuman primates to understand HIV/AIDS disease pathogenesis, elucidate mechanisms for the maintenance of the viral reservoir, and test new vaccines and treatment regimens. Thus, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center has been very successful at developing and maintaining a Specific Pathogen Free colony to provide animals for this research. The Yerkes Viral Testing Core has developed a pipeline of diagnostic screens and tests which provide definitive diagnoses for the presence of infection by SIV, STLV, SRV, and B-virus. The screening pipeline consists of several tiers of increasingly stringent tests beginning with a highly sensitive cytometric bead array (CBA) based assay for virus specific antibodies. Any animal with a positive or borderline CBA result is then tested by Western blot for the presence of antigen-specific antibodies. Indeterminant Western blot results for the retroviruses are confirmed via a molecular assay while B-virus indeterminant Western blots are confirmed by two outside sources, the B-virus National Laboratory and VRL Laboratories. Over the past funding period the Yerkes Viral Testing Core has expanded its in-house testing pipeline to include CBA and Western blot confirmatory assays for B-virus through a rigorous validation process. The Core has also begun testing and validating a SRV quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). During the next funding period, in addition to continuing its rigorous and cost-efficient testing program, the Core will continue its implementation of the SRV qPCR validating its results in a yearlong side-by-side comparison with the California National Primate Research Center?s molecular testing results. Furthermore, the Core will implement a test for Zika virus in order to help inform breeding decisions for the colony in a geographic area that could see future waves of Zika virus transmission. The implementation of these new tests will be critical (1) for the Yerkes Viral Testing Core to provide cost effective and rapid SPF viral testing solutions, (2) for the ability of colony managers to make assignment and husbandry decisions, and, most importantly, (3) for the success of AIDS researchers using nonhuman primates at Yerkes.
| Stavisky, Ronda C; Ramsey, Jacklyn K; Meeker, Tracy et al. (2018) Trauma rates and patterns in specific pathogen free (SPF) rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) groups. Am J Primatol 80:e22742 |
