Effects of cyclosporine on the pathogenesis of primary cytomegalovirus infection in the guinea pig.
The effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) upon the pathogenesis of primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection were investigated. Hartley and strain 2 guinea pigs were inoculated subcutaneously on day 0 with 10(4) TCD50 of virulent, salivary-gland-passaged guinea pig CMV and received oral CsA (20 mg/kg/day) for 14 days. CMV-infected, CsA-treated animals lost approximately 20% of their total body weight in 14 days and had more than twice the rate of CMV isolation from internal organs when compared with untreated controls, despite similar rates of viremia. Internal organs of CsA-treated animals demonstrated widespread viral inclusions and minimal inflammatory response to the presence of CMV-infected cells. The mean change in peripheral blood lymphocyte values for CMV-infected, CsA-treated Hartley guinea pigs was -2,867 +/- 2,955 (mean +/- SD) lymphocytes/microliters as compared to +10,933 +/- 7,583 in CMV-infected, untreated controls (p less than 0.01). In the guinea pig model, CsA administration had adverse effects upon the pathogenesis of primary CMV infection.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006400:Hematocrit; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D014181:Transplantation Immunology / Q000187:drug effects
D003524:Cyclosporins; D003404:Creatinine