Antibody response against koala retrovirus (KoRV) in koalas harboring KoRV-A in the presence or absence of KoRV-B.

ABSTRACT: Koala retrovirus (KoRV) is in the process of endogenization into the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) genome and is currently spreading through the Australian koala population. Understanding how the koala's immune system responds to KoRV infection is critical for developing an efficacious vaccine to protect koalas. To this end, we analyzed the antibody response of 235 wild koalas, sampled longitudinally over a four-year period, that harbored KoRV-A, and with or without KoRV-B. We found that the majority of the sampled koalas were able to make anti-KoRV antibodies, and that there was a linear increase in anti-KoRV IgG levels in koalas up to approximately seven years of age and then a gradual decrease thereafter. Koalas infected with both KoRV-A and KoRV-B were found to have slightly higher an

SUBMITTER: Olagoke O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6711960 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature