To further characterize these cells and explore the potential relationship of M-CSF and/or IL-34 with M2 activation, we performed immunohistochemical analyses of brain tissue from non-infected and SIV-infected rhesus macaques, with and without encephalitis (SIVE), to investigate the association between CD163 expression with M-CSF and IL-34. This evidence concerns the gene CD163 and viral encephalitis.