Important note: Information in this article was accurate in June 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 5, 2000
Prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports
Scientists at the Biomedical Primate Research Center in The Netherlands came to this conclusion based on a vaccine study using rhesus macaques. Their goal was to determine whether virulence or genotypic variance was the limiting factor relative to vaccine efficacy ("Evidence of viral virulence as a predominant factor limiting human immunodeficiency virus vaccine efficacy," J Virol 2000 May;74(9):4017-27.
P. Mooij et al. said, "We designed a series of heterologous chimeric simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) challenge experiments in HIV 1 subunit-vaccinated rhesus macaques." Twelve macaques were vaccinated and 10 macaques served as non-vaccinated controls. The vaccine contained a CCR5 binding envelope of HIV1 (W6.1D).
To test the vaccine for efficacy based on genetic variance, the animals were challenged with SHIV chimeras containing either of two variants of clade B: HIV-1(han2) or HIV-1(sf13).
"Protection from either of the divergent SHIVsfi3 or SHIVhan2 challenges was demonstrated in the majority of the vaccinated animals," according to Mooij et al.
To determine if virulence was a major factor affecting vaccine effectiveness, animals were challenged with a highly virulent, but related, strain of HIV-1 known as SHIV89.6p.
In this instance only one of the macaques demonstrated signs of vaccine protection.
Researchers also found that even when vaccine protection failed, viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts were positively influenced.
"In addition to revealing different levels of protective immunity, these results suggest the importance of developing vaccine strategies capable of protecting from particularly virulent variants of HIV-1," Mooij and colleagues concluded.
The corresponding author for this study is J.L. Heeney, Biomedical Primate Research Center, Department of Virology, POB 3306, NL-2280 GH Rijswijk, Netherlands.
Key points reported in this study are:
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
000605
AW000603
Copyright © 2000 - Charles Henderson, Publisher. All rights Reserved. Permission to reproduce granted to AEGIS by Charles W. Henderson. Authorization to reproduce for personal use granted granted by C. W. Henderson, Publisher, provided that the fee of US$4.50 per copy, per page is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970, USA. Published by Charles Henderson, Publisher. Editorial & Publishing Office: P.O. Box 5528, Atlanta, GA 30307-0528 / Telephone: (800) 633-4931; Subscription Office: P.O. Box 830409, Birmingham, AL 35283-0409 / FAX: (205) 995-1588 http://www.newsrx.net
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1990, 2000. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.