Use of an animal model for the study of the role of human immunodeficiency virus 1 in the human intestine

Abstract

The gastrointestinal manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 disease have centered on identifiable causes of intestinal dysfunction such as parasitic and bacterial pathogens. The lamina propria of the intestine contains cells that harbor HIV-1, but the significance of this observation remains unknown. Because limited animal models are available to evaluate the gastrointestinal effects of this infection, a system that uses human fetal intestine transplanted subcutaneously onto the back of an immunodeficient mouse was developed. After 8 weeks, fetal tissues mature into an adult-appearing tissue with a lumen. Cell-free HIV-1 was inoculated into the expiants, and evidence for infection was evaluated by histological evaluation, in situ hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction. No evidence for HIV-1 incorporation into epithelial cells could be found. It was concluded that this model provides a system in which intestinal HIV-1 interaction can be evaluated. In this model, cell-free HIV-1 does not appear to infect the epithelial cell.