This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bassett, S. E.
Right arrow Articles by Lanford, R. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bassett, S. E.
Right arrow Articles by Lanford, R. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Virol, April 1998, p. 2589-2599, Vol. 72, No. 4
0022-538X/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus-Inoculated Chimpanzees Reveals Unexpected Clinical Profiles

Suzanne E. Bassett,1,2 Kathleen M. Brasky,1 and Robert E. Lanford1,2,*

Department of Virology and Immunology, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78227,1 and Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 782842

Received 15 September 1997/Accepted 22 December 1997

The clinical course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in a chimpanzee cohort was examined to better characterize the outcome of this valuable animal model. Results of a cross-sectional study revealed that a low percentage (39%) of HCV-inoculated chimpanzees were viremic based on reverse transcription (RT-PCR) analysis. A correlation was observed between viremia and the presence of anti-HCV antibodies. The pattern of antibodies was dissimilar among viremic chimpanzees and chimpanzees that cleared the virus. Viremic chimpanzees had a higher prevalence of antibody reactivity to NS3, NS4, and NS5. Since an unexpectedly low percentage of chimpanzees were persistently infected with HCV, a longitudinal analysis of the virological profile of a small panel of HCV-infected chimpanzees was performed to determine the kinetics of viral clearance and loss of antibody. This study also revealed that a low percentage (33%) of HCV-inoculated chimpanzees were persistently viremic. Analysis of serial bleeds from six HCV-infected animals revealed four different clinical profiles. Viral clearance with either gradual or rapid loss of anti-HCV antibody was observed in four animals within 5 months postinoculation. A chronic-carrier profile characterized by persistent HCV RNA and anti-HCV antibody was observed in two animals. One of these chimpanzees was RT-PCR positive, antibody negative for 5 years and thus represented a silent carrier. If extrapolated to the human population, these data would imply that a significant percentage of unrecognized HCV infections may occur and that silent carriers may represent potentially infectious blood donors.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Virology and Immunology, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, 7620 N.W. Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78228. Phone: (210) 670-3245. Fax: (210) 670-3329. E-mail: rlanford{at}icarus.sfbr.org.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nainan, O. V., Lu, L., Gao, F.-X., Meeks, E., Robertson, B. H., Margolis, H. S. (2006). Selective transmission of hepatitis C virus genotypes and quasispecies in humans and experimentally infected chimpanzees. J. Gen. Virol. 87: 83-91 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sugimoto, K., Kaplan, D. E., Ikeda, F., Ding, J., Schwartz, J., Nunes, F. A., Alter, H. J., Chang, K.-M. (2005). Strain-Specific T-Cell Suppression and Protective Immunity in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection. J. Virol. 79: 6976-6983 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sundstrom, S., Ota, S., Dimberg, L. Y., Masucci, M. G., Bergqvist, A. (2005). Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Induces an Anergic State Characterized by Decreased Interleukin-2 Production and Perturbation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Responses. J. Virol. 79: 2230-2239 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bergqvist, A., Sundstrom, S., Dimberg, L. Y., Gylfe, E., Masucci, M. G. (2003). The Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Modulates T Cell Responses by Inducing Spontaneous and Altering T-cell Receptor-triggered Ca2+ Oscillations. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 18877-18883 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nascimbeni, M., Mizukoshi, E., Bosmann, M., Major, M. E., Mihalik, K., Rice, C. M., Feinstone, S. M., Rehermann, B. (2003). Kinetics of CD4+ and CD8+ Memory T-Cell Responses during Hepatitis C Virus Rechallenge of Previously Recovered Chimpanzees. J. Virol. 77: 4781-4793 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Major, M. E., Mihalik, K., Puig, M., Rehermann, B., Nascimbeni, M., Rice, C. M., Feinstone, S. M. (2002). Previously Infected and Recovered Chimpanzees Exhibit Rapid Responses That Control Hepatitis C Virus Replication upon Rechallenge. J. Virol. 76: 6586-6595 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schmidt, W., Stapleton, J. T., Knight, G. B., Agnello, V. (2001). Whole-Blood Hepatitis C Virus RNA Extraction Methods. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 3812-3813 [Full Text]  
  • Bigger, C. B., Brasky, K. M., Lanford, R. E. (2001). DNA Microarray Analysis of Chimpanzee Liver during Acute Resolving Hepatitis C Virus Infection. J. Virol. 75: 7059-7066 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lanford, R. E., Lee, H., Chavez, D., Guerra, B., Brasky, K. M. (2001). Infectious cDNA clone of the hepatitis C virus genotype 1 prototype sequence. J. Gen. Virol. 82: 1291-1297 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lu, L., Nakano, T., Orito, E., Mizokami, M., Robertson, B. H. (2001). Evaluation of Accumulation of Hepatitis C Virus Mutations in a Chronically Infected Chimpanzee: Comparison of the Core, E1, HVR1, and NS5b Regions. J. Virol. 75: 3004-3009 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bergqvist, A., Rice, C. M. (2001). Transcriptional Activation of the Interleukin-2 Promoter by Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein. J. Virol. 75: 772-781 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Beames, B., Chavez, D., Guerra, B., Notvall, L., Brasky, K. M., Lanford, R. E. (2000). Development of a Primary Tamarin Hepatocyte Culture System for GB Virus-B: a Surrogate Model for Hepatitis C Virus. J. Virol. 74: 11764-11772 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ray, S. C., Mao, Q., Lanford, R. E., Bassett, S., Laeyendecker, O., Wang, Y.-M., Thomas, D. L. (2000). Hypervariable Region 1 Sequence Stability during Hepatitis C Virus Replication in Chimpanzees. J. Virol. 74: 3058-3066 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kolykhalov, A. A., Mihalik, K., Feinstone, S. M., Rice, C. M. (2000). Hepatitis C Virus-Encoded Enzymatic Activities and Conserved RNA Elements in the 3' Nontranslated Region Are Essential for Virus Replication In Vivo. J. Virol. 74: 2046-2051 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liang, T. J., Rehermann, B., Seeff, L. B., Hoofnagle, J. H. (2000). Pathogenesis, Natural History, Treatment, and Prevention of Hepatitis C. ANN INTERN MED 132: 296-305 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Leyssen, P., De Clercq, E., Neyts, J. (2000). Perspectives for the Treatment of Infections with Flaviviridae. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 13: 67-82 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Beld, M., Penning, M., van Putten, M., van den Hoek, A., Damen, M., Klein, M. R., Goudsmit, J. (1999). Low Levels of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Serum, Plasma, and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Injecting Drug Users During Long Antibody-Undetectable Periods Before Seroconversion. Blood 94: 1183-1191 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ray, S. C., Wang, Y.-M., Laeyendecker, O., Ticehurst, J. R., Villano, S. A., Thomas, D. L. (1999). Acute Hepatitis C Virus Structural Gene Sequences as Predictors of Persistent Viremia: Hypervariable Region 1 as a Decoy. J. Virol. 73: 2938-2946 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Major, M. E., Mihalik, K., Fernandez, J., Seidman, J., Kleiner, D., Kolykhalov, A. A., Rice, C. M., Feinstone, S. M. (1999). Long-Term Follow-Up of Chimpanzees Inoculated with the First Infectious Clone for Hepatitis C Virus. J. Virol. 73: 3317-3325 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bassett, S. E., Thomas, D. L., Brasky, K. M., Lanford, R. E. (1999). Viral Persistence, Antibody to E1 and E2, and Hypervariable Region 1 Sequence Stability in Hepatitis C Virus-Inoculated Chimpanzees. J. Virol. 73: 1118-1126 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»