title: Fungal nucleic acids as interferon inducers.
abstract: Nucleic acids isolated from the fungi Aspergillus niger x11, Piptoporus betulinus and Ganoderma applanatum reduced the number of vaccinia virus plaques in chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) tissue culture and when administered intravenously to white mice protected them against lethal infection with tick borne encephalitis virus strain K5 (TBE). In CEF tissue culture the nucleic acids of the studied fungi were found to induce small but detectable amounts of a substance with the character of interferon. In vivo only ribonucleic acid from G. applanatum induced a substance showing interferon properties in the spleen of mice.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001234:Aspergillus niger; D002642:Chick Embryo; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000517:prevention & control; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000382:microbiology; D005658:Fungi; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011124:Polyporaceae; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000187:drug effects; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
chemical_list: D007369:Interferon Inducers; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D014020:Tissue Extracts