Open AccessTherapy of a fatal murine cytomegalovirus infection with thymic humoral factor (THF‐γ2) treated immune spleen cells
Author(s) -
RAGERZISMAN B.,
ZUCKERMAN F.,
BENHARROCH D.,
PECHT M.,
BURSTEIN Y.,
TRAININ N.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1990.tb05186.x
Subject(s) - immunology , cytomegalovirus , immune system , spleen , humoral immunity , antibody , virology , medicine , biology , herpesviridae , viral disease , virus
SUMMARY Infection of mice with murine cytomegalovirus (CMV) presents a model for the study of the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of human CMV. We performed adoptive transfer experiments to evaluate the prospects for enhancing the anti‐viral potential of murine CMV immune spleen cells by THF‐γ2. Adult BALB/c mice resistant to murine CMV become highly susceptible following immunosuppression by cyclophosphamide. Recipient mice were injected with murine CMV and cyclophosphamide concomitantly, and 24 h later adoptive transfers of syngeneic immune spleen cells were performed. We showed that passive transfers of murine CMV immune spleen cells prevented the development of a fatal disease in 38% of the recipient mice. Daily injections of murine CMV immune donor mice with THF‐γ2 enhanced considerably (93%) the therapeutic potential of virus‐specific immune cells. These experiments provide direct evidence for the antiviral capacity of THF‐γ2 through its immunomodulatory effect on immune T cells.