SIVdrl detection in captive mandrills: are mandrills infected with a third strain of simian immunodeficiency virus?

A pol-fragment of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that is highly related to SIVdrl-pol from drill monkeys (Mandrillus leucophaeus) was detected in two mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) from Amsterdam Zoo. These captivity-born mandrills had never been in contact with drill monkeys, and were unlikely to be hybrids. Their mitochondrial haplotype suggested that they descended from founder animals in Cameroon or northern Gabon, close to the habitat of the drill. SIVdrl has once before been found in a wild-caught mandrill from the same region, indicating that mandrills are naturally infected with a SIVdrl-like virus. This suggests that mandrills are the first primate species to be infected with three strains of SIV: SIVmnd1, SIVmnd2, and SIVdrl

Selective inhibitory effects of (S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonyl-methoxypropyl)adenine and 1-(2'-deoxy-

From a selection of 25 antiviral compounds with specific anti-herpes activity or broad-spectrum antiviral properties, two compounds, namely (S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonyl-methoxypropyl)adenine and 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil, appeared particularly effective in inhibiting the cytopathogenicity of seal herpesvirus (phocid herpesvirus 1)

IL-17 expression in human herpetic stromal keratitis: modulatory effects on chemokine production by corneal fibroblasts

Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) is an immunopathologic disease triggered by infection of the cornea with HSV. Key events in HSK involve the interaction between cornea-infiltrating inflammatory cells and resident cells. This interaction, in which macrophages, producing IL-1 and TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma-producing Th1 cells play a crucial role, results in the local secretion of immune-modulatory factors and a major influx of neutrophils causing corneal lesions and blindness. The Th1-derived cytokine IL-17 has been shown to play an important role in several inflammatory diseases characterized by a massive infiltration of neutrophils into inflamed tissue. Here we show that IL-17 is expressed in corneas from patients with HSK and that the IL-17R is constitutively expressed by human corneal fibroblasts (HCF). IL-17 exhibited a strong synergistic effect with TNF-alpha on the induction of IL-6 and IL-8 secretion by cultured HCF. Secreted IL-8 in these cultures had a strong chemotactic effect on neutrophils. IL-17 also enhanced TNF-alpha- and IFN-gamma-induced secretion of macrophage-inflammatory proteins 1alpha and 3alpha, while inhibiting the induced secretion of RANTES. Furthermore, considerable levels of IFN-gamma-inducible protein 10 and matrix metalloproteinase 1 were measured in stimulated HCF cultures, while the constitutive secretion of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 remained unaffected. The data presented suggest that IL-17 may play an important role in the induction and/or perpetuation of the immunopathologic processes in human HSK by modulating the secretion of proinflammatory and neutrophil chemotactic factors by corneal resident fibroblast

Diagnosing herpesvirus infections by real-time amplification and rapid culture

Procedures using real-time technique were developed to demonstrate the presence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2, varicella zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in miscellaneous clinical specimens. The assays were compared to rapid culture using centrifugation followed by detection with monoclonal antibodies. A total of 711 consecutive samples were collected from different patient groups. Throat swabs were obtained from transplant patients; dermal or oral specimens were collected from patients suspected for VZV or HSV infection. Genital specimens were taken from patients who attended the Clinic for Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the Dijkzigt Hospital Rotterdam presenting with symptoms of a primary genital ulcer. Nucleic acid extraction was carried out using a MagnaPure LC instrument. The amplification steps were performed on the ABI Prism 7700 sequence detection system. To monitor the process of extraction and amplification, a universal control consisting of seal herpesvirus type 1 (PhHV-1

Impaired dopamine release and uptake in R6/1 Huntington's disease model mice

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder. Here, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure dopamine release and uptake in striatal brain slices from R6/1 HD model mice. Peak dopamine release ([DA]max) was significantly diminished in R6/1 mice (52% of wild-type at 24 weeks of age). Similarly, dopamine released per locally applied electrical stimulus pulse ([DA]p), which is [DA]max corrected for uptake and electrode performance, was also diminished in R6/1 mice (43% of wild-type by 24 weeks of age). Moreover, Vmax, the maximum rate of dopamine uptake, obtained by modeling the stimulated release plots, was decreased at 16 and 24 weeks of age in R6/1 mice (51 and 48% of wild-type, respectively). Thus, impairments in both dopamine release and uptake appear to progress in an age-dependent manner in R6/1 mice

Dysregulation of Intracellular Dopamine Stores Revealed in the R6/2 Mouse Striatum

Huntington’s disease is a fatal, neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by preferential and extensive striatal degeneration. Here, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to study the mobilization and efflux of reserve pool dopamine in striatal brain slices from Huntington’s disease model R6/2 mice. When applying stimulus trains of 120 pulses, evoked dopamine release in wild-type slices was greater than that in R6/2 slices at the higher frequencies (50 and 60 Hz). To quantify cytosolic and reserve pool dopamine levels, amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux was measured after pre-treatment with either tetrabenazine or alpha-methyl-ptyrosine. Slices from 12-week old R6/2 mice released less dopamine than slices from wild-type mice, while no difference was noted in slices from 6-week old mice. The vesicular release of reserve pool dopamine, mobilized by treatment with cocaine, was shorter lived in R6/2 slices compared to wild-type slices even though peak dopamine release was the same. Moreover, the number of dopamine reserve pool vesicles in R6/2 mice was less than half of that in wild-type. Therefore, our data suggest that the same number of dopamine molecules are present in each reserve pool vesicle in WT and R6/2 mice and that these vesicles are readily mobilized in both genotypes; however, R6/2 mice have fewer dopamine reserve pool vesicles available for mobilization

Corneal herpes simplex virus type 1 superinfection in patients with recrudescent herpetic keratitis

PURPOSE: Herpetic keratitis is a common sequel of a corneal infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1. Recrudescent herpetic keratitis (RHK) may result in irreversible damage to the cornea. Recurrences may be caused by reactivation of endogenous HSV-1 or reinfection with exogenous HSV-1. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors involved of HSV-1 superinfection in patients with RHK. METHODS: From 30 patients with RHK, sequential corneal HSV-1 isolates were genotyped by PCR amplification of the hypervariable regions located within the HSV-1 genes US1, US10/11, and US12. The clinical data from the patients obtained retrospectively were: ophthalmologic history, clinical picture during recurrences, number and time points of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), and steroid or acyclovir treatment. RESULTS: Whereas the sequential corneal HSV-1 isolates of 19 (63%) of 30 patients had the same genotype (designated as group 1), the sequential isolates of 11 patients (37%) were genetically different (designated as group 2). Among the clinical data analyzed, only the time point of PKP was significantly different between the patient groups. A