Cytokine kinetics in the plasma of monkeys infected with pathogenic and nonpathogenic simian and human immunodeficiency chimeric viruses at an early stage of infection.

To evaluate the pattern of cytokines as a result of pathogenic and nonpathogenic SHIV infections in monkeys, we analyzed the cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, and interferon (IFN)-gamma in the plasma of 8 monkeys infected with either pathogenic 89.6P or nonpathogenic NM-3rN chimeric viruses. The cytokine kinetics in the 89.6P-infected monkeys was characterized by increases of IL-2, IL-10, and to some extent IFN-gamma and a decrease of IL-12. Although that of NM-3rN-infected monkeys was characterized by an increase of IFN-gamma, and a transient decrease of IL-12. IL-4 was not detected in any of the monkeys. The results, therefore, showed a mixture of Th-1 and Th-2 cytokine profiles implying these cytokines are not clear enough to use as an index of the pathogenicity of the viruses at an early stage of infection.