Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 can occasionally be detected as a cryptic or latent infection in seronegative, asymptomatic patients. To develop an animal model of host latency, cats were mucosally challenged with 102–106 feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)—infected T cells. Although high-dose exposure (104–106 T cells) resulted in progressive infection, no evidence of infection was seen in 5 of 6 cats exposed to 102 or 103 T cells. However, after ex vivo CD8+ T cell depletion and phorbol myristate acetate treatment, FIV could be reactivated in tissues from 4 cats. Thus, latent tissue viral reservoirs can be induced by low-dose cell-associated mucosal challenge, providing a model to dissect the mechanisms that control reservoir establishment.

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