Virus-associated deficiencies in the mitogen reactivity in celebes black macaques (Macaca nigra)

Abstract Celebes black macaques ( Macaca nigra ) with a history of diabetes mellitus, recurrent bacterial and protozoal infections, diarrhea, anemia, weight loss, anorexia, and a high mortality were studied to determine their immune status. Two groups of monkeys, healthy and unhealthy, were formed on the basis of a clinical assessment. The proliferative response and the pokeweed-mitogen-induced polyclonal IgG response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of unhealthy monkeys were significantly less than the responses of healthy monkeys. The percentage of HLA-DR − cells varied greatly in unhealthy monkeys. The OKT4 OKT8 ratios of unhealthy monkeys were generally greater than the ratios of healthy monkeys. Unhealthy monkeys usually had smaller percentages of OKT8 + cells than did healthy monkeys. The two groups of monkeys were examined for the presence of a syncytial forming retrovirus by a coculture assay involving Raji cells, a human B lymphoblastoid cell line. A type D retrovirus was detected in the unhealthy group but not in the healthy group. Retroperitoneal fibromatosis was detected in several monkeys in the unhealthy group.