Simian retroviral infections in human beings.

Cross-species transmissions of simian retroviruses in Africa and risk for human health.

See page 932 Emerging zoonotic diseases are among the most important public-health threats facing humanity. One of the major examples is the AIDS epidemic which emerged in the 1980s as a result of cross-species transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) to human beings several decades earlier. As with HIV, other retroviruses (such as human T-lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2) are also o...

Regulatory T cells in retroviral infections

Tight regulation of immune responses is not only critical for preventing autoimmune diseases but also for preventing immunopathological damage during infections in which overactive immune responses may be more harmful for the host than the pathogen itself. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a critical role in this regulation, which was discovered using the Friend retrovirus (FV) mouse model. Subse...

Multiple retroviral infection by HTLV type 1, 2, 3 and simian foamy virus in a family of Pygmies from Cameroon.

To better understand the origins and modes of transmission of HTLV-3 and to search for other retroviral infections (HTLV-1, HTLV-2, foamy viruses), we studied the family of a HTLV-3-infected individual (Pyl43), from Cameroon. Thirty-five persons were included. All adult men were still actively hunting nonhuman primates (NHP). All women were also butchering and cutting-up animals. Five persons r...

Increased risk for a second retroviral infection (SIV or STLV type I) for wild African green monkeys already infected by one retrovirus in Senegal (West Africa).

Isolation of an active Lv1 gene from cattle indicates that tripartite motif protein-mediated innate immunity to retroviral infection is widespread among mammals.

Lv1/TRIM5alpha (tripartite motif 5alpha) has recently emerged as an important factor influencing species-specific permissivity to retroviral infection in a range of primates, including humans. Old World monkey TRIM5alpha blocks human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infectivity, and the human and New World monkey TRIM5alpha proteins are inactive against HIV-1 but active against divergent m...