Evaluation of live feline immunodeficiency virus vaccines with modified antigenic properties.

Live-attenuated viruses have typically been generated from pathogenic viruses by genetic modifications that modified their replicative capacity. The present study investigated whether modification of the antigenic properties of live-attenuated viruses might improve upon the protection that such vaccines afford against lentivirus infection. In a previous study, random amino acid substitutions were introduced into the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), within a highly conserved domain (principal immunodominant domain) bearing immunodominant B-cell epitopes.

Longitudinal monitoring of 2-long terminal repeat circles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with chronic HIV-1 infection.

Objective: To evaluate the potential use of 2-long terminal repeats (LTR) HIV circular DNA quantification for the monitoring of ongoing virus replication in treated HIV-1-infected patients.

Design And Methods: In a longitudinal setting, where the natural course of HIV-1 infection was in most cases disrupted by continuous or discontinuous antiviral therapy, 2-LTR circles of HIV-1 DNA were quantified in serial peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples, selected in retrospect from 16 patients with chronic HIV-1 infection, using quantitative real-time PCR. We compared variations of 2-LTR circle level with concomitant variations in plasma viral RNA level and with the frequency of productively infected cells and chromosome associated proviral DNA copy numbers in patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells.