Table 1.

Clinical outcome and necropsy findings of wild-type and Δvpr SIV_mac239 infection

Animal no.	SIV construct	Death at wpia	Diagnosis and clinical signs	Main necropsy findings
14892	wt	70	Simian AIDS; reduced feed intake 3 days before necropsy, mild diarrhea, moderate to severe anemia by wk 60, severe thrombocytopenia before necropsy	Erosive-ulcerative transmural jejunitis, multiple extramedullary hematopoiesis foci (indicating impaired hematopoiesis), generalized hyperplasia of lymphatic system
14893	wt	51	Simian AIDS; reduced feed intake for 1 wk before necropsy, coughing and dyspnea by wk 45, diarrhea by wk 50	Lymphatic system depleted, interstitial pneumonia with intranuclear inclusion bodies, suspect of CMV-induced pneumonia, subacute colitis
15226	wt	35	Simian AIDS; persisting diarrhea by wk 25, loss of appetite by wk 31	Depletion of lymphatic system, severe chronic-active bacterial and parasitic gastroenteritis induced by protozoa
2729	wt	89	Moderate to severe thrombocytopenia by wk 44, otherwise clinically healthy	Chronic endocardiosis of mitral valve, generalized moderate to severe activation of lymphatic system including GALT and BALT system and kidney
15925	wt	56	Simian AIDS; recurrent diarrhea by wk 53, reduced appetite shortly before necropsy	Moderate chronic-active gastroenteritis, generalized activation of the lymphatic system
15934	wt	33	Simian AIDS; mild diarrhea by wk 26, moderate amount of stool protozoa, reduced feed intake and dyspnea by wk 32	Severe diffuse pneumocystosis of the lung
2772	Δvpr	89	Clinically healthy	Mild activation of the lymphatic system
14954	Δvpr	88	Clinically healthy	Mild oligofocal follicular hyperplasia of the spleen
15933	Δvpr	87	Clinically healthy	none
2617	Δvpr	64	Simian AIDS; loss of appetite; watery diarrhea; severe anemia; moderate dyspnea	Focal thrombotic endocardiosis of the right atrium with lung embolism, heart insufficiency with abdominal and pericardial effusions, focal mild interstitial pneumonia
14847	Δvpr	78	Mild transient diarrhea by wk 76	Generalized severe activation of the lymphatic system with transition to lymphoid depletion; chronic colitis
15216	Δvpr	75	Simian AIDS; mild diarrhea by wk 73	Focally severe, partially erosive chronic gastroenteritis, severe diffuse pneumocystosis of the lung, generalized severe hyperplasia of the lymphatic system with transition to lymphoid depletion

wt, wild-type SIV _mac239; Δvpr, SIV_mac239vpr deletion mutant; wk, week; wpi, weeks post-infection.

^aAnimals were euthanized at the end of the investigation period or when they developed severe SIV-induced immunodeficiency.