title: Semliki Forest virus-induced, immune-mediated demyelination: adoptive transfer studies and viral persistence in nude mice.
abstract: Adoptive transfer experiments in athymic nude mice demonstrated that the demyelination seen in the central nervous system (CNS) following Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infection was directly dependent upon sensitized T lymphocytes. Antibodies generated during the infection did not seem to be involved in the demyelination, but thymus-dependent antibodies (IgG) were responsible for the reduction of brain virus titres. In the absence of a T cell response and T cell-dependent antibody production, virus persisted in the CNS for several months. Despite persistence of high virus titres for this time, only mice eventually developing a CNS inflammatory response developed lesions of demyelination. In the absence of an inflammatory response no demyelination was apparent even after several months of persistent infection. Administration of anti-SFV hyperimmune serum intracerebrally to both infected and control mice did not produce demyelination but resulted in CNS tissue degeneration with marked pycnosis.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude / Q000276:immunology; D012672:Semliki forest virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D014036:Togaviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007106:Immune Sera