Two distinct virally induced infections in non-human primates which cause substantial morbidity and mortality and with clinical relevance to human AIDS have been identified recently. The first, designated SAIDS, is caused by a variety of closely related Type D viruses (SRV-1, SRV-2). The second is induced by a lentivirus which is morphologically, biologically and serologically related to human HTLV-III (HIV-1) and HTLV-IV (HIV-2) and is designated STLV-III (SIV). These infections are of importance because they: (a) infect many non-human primates and may have major effects on experimentation in these species and (b) can serve as potential models for examining the biology, pathogenesis and potential therapy of AIDS-like diseases. Microbiological Associates, Inc. (MBA) proposes to produce monoclonal antibodies against a series of epitopes found on the simian retroviruses. These monoclonals along with polyclonal antibodies produced in Phase I studies will be used to develop simple, rapid antibody and antigen detection assays for SAIDS and SIV.
