The remaining rhesus 13 monkeys from 2 prior studies of the effects of the AIDS virus on susceptibility to leprosy were necropsied and evaluated histopathologically for leprosy. Of the 13 animals, 10 represented control animals inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae (ML) alone and 3 were inoculated with ML and SIV 2-3 years prior to necropsy. Two of the 3 coinoculated animals were AIDS-positive but leprosy could not be confirmed in these 3 animals; 1 of the 10 ML-only inoculated animals was leprosy-positive. The final interpretation of these experiments, therefore, is that 16 of 20 animals inoculated with SIV + ML developed leprosy compared to 1 of 10 animals given ML only over the same time of observation (2-3 years). These results definitively show that the AIDS virus increases the susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to leprosy. FUNDING Base Grant, Venture Research PUBLICATIONS Gormus BJ, Xu K, Baskin GB, Martin LN, Bohm Jr RP, Blanchard JL, Mack PA, Ratterree MS, Meyers WM and Walsh GP. Experimental Leprosy in Rhesus Monkeys Transmission, Susceptibility, Clinical and Immunological Findings. Leprosy Review 69:235-245, 1998. Gormus BJ, Xu K, Murphey-Corb M, Martin LN, Baskin GB, Mack PA, Ratterree MS, Gerone PJ, Scollard DM and Gillis TP. Mycobacterium leprae-AIDS Virus Interactions in Monkeys. 15th International Leprosy Congress, Beijing, Republic of China, September 10, 1998. [Abstract]
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