title: Interleukin-3 protects mice from acute herpes simplex virus infection.
abstract: Evidence presented here from kinetic studies of interleukin-3 (IL-3) production by spleen cells from adult mice infected subcutaneously with HSV-1 and stimulated with virus antigen in vitro shows that high levels of IL-3 were produced at the onset of the animal's recovery from the disease state. Injections of anti-IL-3 antibody into HSV-1-infected mice resulted in exacerbation of the disease. Primary mouse embryonic head cells grown in the presence of murine IL-3, when infected with HSV-1, showed a 1000-fold decrease in virus titre compared with untreated control cells. This inhibiting effect was reversed by anti-IL-3 and anti-IFN-alpha, beta and gamma antibodies. These data suggest that IL-3 plays a host-protective role against HSV infection and it does so probably by inducing brain cells to produce interferons which then inhibit virus replication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, UMDS, Medical School, Guy's Hospital, London, U.K.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ziltener
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Liew
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007377:Interleukin-3