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Protective effect of a low‐dose of cyclophosphamide in experimental infection of guinea pigs with junin virus
Author(s) -
Ponzinibbio Carlos,
González Pedro,
Laguens Ruben P.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890290213
Subject(s) - junin virus , cyclophosphamide , virus , guinea pig , biology , virology , caviidae , lung , respiratory system , immunology , medicine , chemotherapy , antigen , endocrinology , lymphocytic choriomeningitis , genetics , cd8 , anatomy
Administration of cyclophosphamide (CY) to guinea pigs infected with a lethal strain of Junin virus (JV) delayed the time of death, with survival of a small number of animals. Virological studies showed a temporary decrease of virus concentration in blood and viscera shortly after the CY injection. In the pathological study no differences were found in the organic lesions present in CY‐treated and nontreated animals, with the exception of the pulmonary alterations. In CY‐treated guinea pigs the lungs appeared almost normal, but in the control. nontreated animals severe alterations with the pattern of the “respiratory distress syndrome of the adult” were consistently present. In in vitro experiments, incorporation of serum collected from guinea pigs injected 30 minutes before exsanguination with CY to cell cultures, infected with JV, prevented virus replication. On the basis of these results it is suggested that the delay of time of death and eventual survival of CY‐treated guinea pigs after JV infection depends on a direct antiviral effect of the drug rather than on its known immunosuppressive action. In addition, the absence of pulmonary alterations in CY‐treated animals was tentatively considered to be dependent on the marked polymorphonu‐clear leukocyte depletion induced by the drug.