Simian varicella virus infection of rhesus macaques recapitulates essential features of varicella zoster virus infection in humans.

ABSTRACT: Simian varicella virus (SVV), the etiologic agent of naturally occurring varicella in primates, is genetically and antigenically closely related to human varicella zoster virus (VZV). Early attempts to develop a model of VZV pathogenesis and latency in nonhuman primates (NHP) resulted in persistent infection. More recent models successfully produced latency; however, only a minority of monkeys became viremic and seroconverted. Thus, previous NHP models were not ideally suited to analyze the immune response to SVV during acute infection and the transition to latency. Here, we show for the first time that intrabronchial inoculation of rhesus macaques with SVV closely mimics naturally occurring varicella (chickenpox) in humans. Infected monkeys developed varicella and viremia that resolved 21

SUBMITTER: Messaoudi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2770849 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature