Open AccessEffect of Corynebacterium granulosum immunopotentiation on the pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus type 2 in BALB/c mice
Author(s) -
D A Gabrielson,
Joanne K. Kelleher,
James Varani
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.30.3.791-796.1980
Subject(s) - herpes simplex virus , biology , immune system , immunity , spleen , balb/c , virus , immunology , virology , microbiology and biotechnology
Treatment of 4- to 6-week-old, 18- to 22-g male BALB/c mice with 0.6 mg of Corynebacterium granulosum resulted in a significant decrease in mortality due to challenge with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Optimal protection occurred when C. granulosum was injected 1 week before HSV-2 infection. C. granulosum-induced resistance to HSV-2 lasted up to 4.5 weeks. Studies involving immune spleen cell transfer and treatment with antilymphocyte serum demonstrated the importance of cell-mediated immunity in HSV-2 infection. However, C. granulosum protection was not transferable with spleen cells from C. granulosum-treated animals nor was C. granulosum treatment capable of completely overcoming the increased mortality which resulted from antilymphocyte serum treatment of HSV-2 infected mice. Under our experimental conditions, silica did not affect the mortality in BALB/c mice due to HSV-2 but significantly reduced the protective effects induced by C. granulosum. Attempts to transfer protection of HSV-2 challenge in suckling mice by using either glass-adherent or mixed peritoneal cells from either HSV-2-immunized or C. granulosum-treated animals were unsuccessful.