【Abstract】Objective To research the characteristics of SHIVKU-1 infection in Chinese rhesus macaques and to provide an animal platform in evaluation of the effectiveness of HIV-1 drugs or vaccines with SHIVKU-1/rhesus animal model. Methods Two healthy Chinese original rhesus macaques, serum negative to SIV, SRV and STLV-1, were infected with SHIVKU-1 intravenously. CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets including memory CD4 T cells subsets in peripheral blood (PBL), inguinal lymph nodes (ILN), intestinal lamina propria (LP) were analyzed by ?ow cytometry. Viral loads was detected by real time RT-PCR, so was the specific IgG antibody titer against SHIVKU-1 in plasma using ELISA. ResuLts Both of the two rhesus macaques established systematic infection, keeping the steady viral loads in 3 months after infection. G1302V died 457 days post infection. Peripheral CD4 T lymphocytes decreased significantly post infection, while CD4 / CD8 went upside down. The proportion of CD4 Tcm cells experienced a decline in early stages of infection and rose sharply, especially in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes. CD4 Tem increased significantly in the intestinal lamina propria. Conclusion In this study, the establishment of SHIVKU-1 infection model of Chinese rhesus macaques provided us a choice to evaluate the efficiency of the candidate vaccines or the drugs aiming at the X4 tropic HIV, so did for the pathogenesis studies as well.