A primate model of genital HPV infection would be very useful in defining the immunological parameters for successful HPV vaccines. Although most HPV types are thought to have a restricted host range, an investigation was undertaken to determine whether HPV 11 could infect the genital mucosa of female rhesus macaque monkeys. Four mature rhesus macaque females which had previously been infected by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) were utilized for the study. They were both inoculated vaginally on two separate occasions using an inoculum of HPV 11 which had been produced in neonatal human foreskin tissue infected with the Hershey HPV 11 strain and grown in the nude mouse subrenal capsule model. The inoculum used was sufficient to cause production of condyloma in the nude mouse model. Vaginal lavages, vaginal smears, and sera were collected monthly. At approximately nine months, the individuals were sacrificed and genital tract mucosa was extracted for a total cellular RNA. cDNA was performed utilizing primers in the E4 open reading. PCR was performed to detect spliced mRNA of the E1E4 mRNA species reflective of active HPV 11 infection. Despite the failure to detect molecular evidence of HPV infection, histologic examination of cervical biopsies demonstrated epithelial dysplasia that was consistent with HPV infection. These studies will be useful to plan further immunological studies in this model to investigate the potential for vaccination against HPV in the primate genital tract. *KEY*Human papillomavirus, Mucosal immunity, Urogenital tract
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