Antibodies reacting with human T‐lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV‐1) or related antigens in lymphomatous and healthy hamadryas baboons

Abstract

The sera of lymphomatous and healthy hamadryas baboons of the main, lymphoma-prone Sukhumi stock were tested for antibodies reacting with HTLV-I antigens in the indirect immunofluorescence test. Antibodies of this specificity were found in all but one of 58 lymphomatous baboons and in 45% of 177 healthy ones. The prevalence of HTLV-I reactive antibodies in lymphoma-free baboon populations (including 118 Sukhumi "forest" stock animals and 195 baboons imported in 3 groups from Ethiopia) was consistently lower (5-8%). The specificity of baboon antibodies reacting with HTLV-I or a related agent is supported by the following evidence: Concordant reactivity pattern of baboon sera with several HTLV-I-positive and-negative human cell lines; elimination of baboon sera anti-HTLV reactivity by absorption with purified HTLV-I, but not by other retroviruses; significant correlation between immunofluorescence titers of baboon sera and their reactivity in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with purified HTLV-I; competition of baboon anti-HTLV with monoclonal antibodies GIN-14 for binding of the epitope on p19HTLV-I. The prevalence of anti-HTLV positives in the main Sukhumi stock increased by age, reaching its maximum (approx. 80%) at 5-15 years, and showed no significant sex-related variation. The level of anti-HTLV antibodies in lymphomatous baboons and in age-, sex- and population-matched healthy ones did not differ. However, in pre-lymphoma sera these antibodies reached significantly higher levels than in sera of lymphomatous baboons (obtained in the terminal stage) or of matched, healthy controls.

The trans-activating C-type retroviruses share a distinct epitope(s) that induces antibodies in certain infected hosts

“…Dr. A. Voevodin (USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, Sukhumi, U.S.S.R.) kindly supplied a pool of two baboon sera which were anti-HTLV-l-positive by WB and other serological tests (Voevodin et al, 1985).…”

Coinfection of Macaques with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian T Cell Leukemia Virus Type I: Effects on Virus Burdens and Disease Progression

“…Although the STLV-I counterparts of HTLV-I are present as natural infections in many Asian and African species of monkeys and great apes [25], a well-characterized nonhuman primate model of STLV-I infection has not been described. Like HTLV-I, STLV-I infection of many species, including macaques, African green monkeys, baboons, and mangabeys, is highly associated with leukemias and lymphomas in which the STLV-I provirus is clonally integrated [26][27][28][29][30]. In addition, naturally occurring leukemias/lymphomas in monkeys coinfected with SIV and STLV-I have been reported.…”

Modes of transmission of Simian T-lymphotropic Virus Type 1 in semi-captive mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)

“…For instance, the mandrill STLV-1d is strongly suspected to be at the origin of the pygmy population's HTLV-1d infection in West-Central Africa (Mahieux et al, 1998). Although they remain largely asymptomatic, HTLV-1 and STLV-1 are responsible for severe diseases including adult T-cell leukemia of which cases have been observed in captive green monkeys, baboons and gorillas (Miyoshi et al, 1982;Voevodin et al, 1985). Up to now, no disease from STLV-1 has been reported for mandrills (Georges-Courbot et al, 1996;Nerrienet et al, 1998;Souquière et al, 2009), except in individuals co-infected with SIVmnd-1 (Souquière et al, 2014).…”