We found a novel primate lentivirus in mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). To clarify the evolutionary relationships and transmission patterns of human/simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV/SIV), we screened blood samples from 30 wild-born healthy Cameroonian mandrills. Five (16.7%) of them were seropositive for SIV. Three SIV strains were isolated from the five seropositive mandrills by cocultivation of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with PBMCs of rhesus macaques, a human T cell line (M8166), and/or a cynomolgus macaque T cell line (HSC-F). One of the newly isolated SIV strains was intravenously inoculated into two rhesus macaques and resulted in chronic infection. In the SIV-infected macaques at 45 weeks after inoculation, we observed a mild decline in the number of peripheral CD4(+) lymphocytes, lymphadenopathy, and blastic follicular dendritic cells with mild follicular hyperplasia in the peripheral lymph nodes. A phylogenetic analysis based on the pol sequence showed that the newly found SIVs from Cameroonian mandrills did not cluster with SIVmndGB1, which is the former representative strain of SIVmnd. The SIVmnds from Cameroon formed a new, independent lineage that branched before the root of the HIV-1/SIVcpz lineage with 996 of 1000 bootstrap replications. They clustered host specifically, and exhibited about 16.9% diversity at the level of nucleotide sequence among Cameroonian SIVmnd strains. These results indicate that the SIVmnds isolated in Cameroon are a novel type of SIVmnd and have infected Cameroonian mandrills for a long time. We therefore designated the Cameroonian SIVmnd as SIVmnd type 2 and redesignated SIVmndGB1 as SIVmnd type 1. To date, M. sphinx is the only primate species other than humans that is naturally infected with two different types of SIV.

Simian T-cell leukemia viruses (STLVs) are the simian counterparts of human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLVs).

To assess the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Republic of Congo (Congo), we investigated 29 HIV-1s obtained from 82 Congolese AIDS and ARC patients in 1996 and 1997. Part of the env region including the V3 loop was phylogenetically analyzed. The genotypes observed were varied: of 29 specimens, 12 (41 %) were subtype A, 1 (3%) was subtype D, 6 (21%) were subtype G, 6 (21%) were subtype H, 2 (7%) were subtype J, and 2 (7%) could not be classified as any known subtypes (U, unclassified). The heterogeneous profile of HIV-1 infection was different from the profiles of neighboring Central African countries. These data show that subtypes G and H as well as subtype A were circulating with high prevalence. The fact that new genetic subtypes (J and U) are circulating indicates a need for a greater surveillance for these subtypes both in Congo as well as in other parts of the world.

We developed a novel gelatin particle agglutination test (MLPA) for the serodiagnosis of leprosy; this test is especially useful for clinical practice and epidemiological surveys of leprosy in countries in which the disease is endemic. The antigen used in the test is the chemically synthesized trisaccharide moiety of Mycobacterium leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid I. MLPA is a simple and easy technique having sensitivity and specificity comparable to those of the conventional indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The new technique was found to be useful for monitoring of chemotherapy and predictive diagnosis of high-risk individuals in contact with persons with leprosy and may be useful for the prediction of relapse. We are now preparing to supply a quality-controlled ready-to-use MLPA kit for leprosy control in countries in which leprosy is endemic. Tween 20), peroxidase-conjugated anti-human immunoglobulin G (IgG) or IgM antiserum (Dako Immunoglobulins A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark) was added to the well and incubated Vol. 28,No. 3 on July 15, 2020 by guest

Partial modifications of antigen components were made to improve the gelatin particle agglutination (PA) test for the detection of antibodies against human T cell leukemia virus type‐I. Envelope glycoproteins prepared by lentil lectin affinity chromatography were further added to the purified viral antigens to be coated on the gelatin particles. Comparative studies with a conventional PA test kit (Serodia ATLA) and indirect immunofluorescence assay showed that the specificity and sensitivity of the new PA test were increased and that abnormal agglutination such as the prozone phenomenon was abolished by this improvement.