Intestinal Stromal Tumors in a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-infected, Simian Retrovirus-2 Negative Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

Multifocal submucosal stromal tumors were diagnosed in a 5.5-year-old rhesus macaque ( Macaca mulatta) experimentally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus, strain SIVsmE660, and CD4⁺ T cell depleted. The animal was negative for simian retroviruses, SRV-1, -2, and -5. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of DNA from tumor and spleen tissue revealed abundant, preferential presence of retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus, the macaque homologue of the Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus-8), in the tumors. This was corroborated by demonstration of viral latent nuclear antigen-1 in the nuclei of a majority of the spindeloid tumor cells. Low levels of an additional macaque herpesvirus, rhesus rhadinovirus, were also detected in the spleen and tumor tissues. The spindeloid cells labeled positively for vimentin and CD117 but were negative for CD31, CD68, desmin, and smooth muscle cell actin. Collectively, these findings suggest a relation to but not absolute identity with simian mesenchymoproliferative disorders (MPD) or typical gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).