Higher SIV Levels are observed in Blood and Tissue Reservoirs of ART-Treated Female Macaques Exposed to Chronic Binge Alcohol
Publication Date
July 2019
Location
LSU Health Medical Education Building
Document Type
Abstract
Start Date
26-7-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
26-7-2019 12:00 PM
Description
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has greatly increased the life span of people living with HIV (PLWHIV), however ART does not eliminate viral reservoirs. PLWHIV experience disease co-morbidities that affect their quality of life, and they are more likely to misuse alcohol. We hypothesize that despite the use of ART, alcohol misuse leads to increased levels of virus in tissue reservoirs contributing to co-morbidities. To explore this hypothesis, female macaques infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) were exposed to chronic-binge alcohol (CBA) or saline. Blood and tissue samples from 19 animals were available for quantification of proviral DNA and viral RNA. At 10 weeks, SIV RNA levels in blood and lymph nodes were higher in CBA animals when compared to the controls. After 1 month of ART, viral levels decreased in both groups, however CBA animals had significantly higher SIV RNA levels. After 8 months ART, proviral DNA levels in tissue showed little change. In contrast SIV RNA levels decreased from pre-ART time points but remained detectable and were higher in the CBA animals. These observations support our hypothesis and suggest that ART may be less effective in controlling virus in tissue reservoirs of CBA animals. Analyses of additional tissue site will identify variations in discrete tissue reservoirs to determine their relationship to co-morbidities and disease progression.
Recommended Citation
Waye, Anita A., "Higher SIV Levels are observed in Blood and Tissue Reservoirs of ART-Treated Female Macaques Exposed to Chronic Binge Alcohol" (2019). Summer Research Internship Program. 4.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/srip/2019/postbac/4
Higher SIV Levels are observed in Blood and Tissue Reservoirs of ART-Treated Female Macaques Exposed to Chronic Binge Alcohol
LSU Health Medical Education Building
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has greatly increased the life span of people living with HIV (PLWHIV), however ART does not eliminate viral reservoirs. PLWHIV experience disease co-morbidities that affect their quality of life, and they are more likely to misuse alcohol. We hypothesize that despite the use of ART, alcohol misuse leads to increased levels of virus in tissue reservoirs contributing to co-morbidities. To explore this hypothesis, female macaques infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) were exposed to chronic-binge alcohol (CBA) or saline. Blood and tissue samples from 19 animals were available for quantification of proviral DNA and viral RNA. At 10 weeks, SIV RNA levels in blood and lymph nodes were higher in CBA animals when compared to the controls. After 1 month of ART, viral levels decreased in both groups, however CBA animals had significantly higher SIV RNA levels. After 8 months ART, proviral DNA levels in tissue showed little change. In contrast SIV RNA levels decreased from pre-ART time points but remained detectable and were higher in the CBA animals. These observations support our hypothesis and suggest that ART may be less effective in controlling virus in tissue reservoirs of CBA animals. Analyses of additional tissue site will identify variations in discrete tissue reservoirs to determine their relationship to co-morbidities and disease progression.
Comments
Mentor: Angela M Amedee, PhD, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Parasitology