Developments in Brief : AIDS in Monkeys May Help Humans

Reports published last week on the genes of a virus that causes AIDS in monkeys could help lead to the development of human AIDS vaccines, scientists say.

Two papers in Nature magazine described the chemical sequences that form the genes of simian immunodeficiency virus, which causes the disease in macaques.

This knowledge may allow scientists to develop and test vaccines against SIV in macaques, which in turn could show the way to designing human vaccines against the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

SIV resembles viruses linked to AIDS in humans, making its infection of macaques “a rational animal model for AIDS vaccines,” said Flossie Wong-Staal of the National Cancer Institute.

Although chimpanzees can be infected with human AIDS virus, researchers said macaques are less expensive and more common, allowing experiments in more animals. In addition, chimps do not develop AIDS as macaques do.