Reducing Disease in SIV-Infected Macaques with Anti-FasL Treatment
Author Information
Author(s): Maria S. Salvato, C. Cameron Yin, Hideo Yagita, Toshihiro Maeda, Ko Okumura, Ilia Tikhonov, C. David Pauza
Primary Institution: University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
Hypothesis
FasL-mediated cell death is important for SIV disease in macaques.
Conclusion
Treatment with anti-FasL reduced cell death in T and B cells, increased immune responses, and prolonged the lifespan of infected macaques.
Supporting Evidence
- Anti-FasL treatment reduced the frequency of dying lymphocytes in blood.
- Control macaques showed a sharp increase in dying T and B cells after infection.
- Anti-FasL-treated animals had significantly higher CD4 T cell counts compared to controls at 8 weeks.
- None of the anti-FasL-treated animals died before 60 weeks after SIV infection.
- All treated animals had virus-binding antibody titers ≥100,000 by 24 weeks.
Takeaway
Researchers gave a special treatment to monkeys infected with a virus to help their bodies fight it better and live longer.
Methodology
Eight rhesus macaques were treated with a monoclonal antibody against FasL during acute SIV infection and monitored for immune responses and survival.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in selecting macaques with high levels of FasL-mediated cytotoxicity.
Limitations
The study was limited to a small sample size of macaques and the long-term effects of treatment were not fully explored.
Participant Demographics
Eight rhesus macaques, aged 3-4 years, retrovirus-free, and foamy-virus-free.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.03
Confidence Interval
not provided
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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