Interleukin 2 increases protection against experimental rabies.
Vaccination with either whole inactivated rabies virus or immunosome (rabies glycoprotein anchored on liposomes) induces a high level of interleukin 2 (IL 2) production after in vitro specific stimulation of splenocytes from primed mice (9). On the contrary, infection with a live rabies virus does not specifically induce the production of IL 2: splenocytes from ill mice previously infected with wild rabies virus cannot be specifically stimulated by rabies antigens, whereas they can be non-specifically stimulated by a mitogen (Concanavalin A (Con A]. When injected in mice, exogenous IL 2 (purified rat IL 2 or human recombinant IL 2) exhibits an adjuvant effect on rabies virus vaccine or subunit vaccine tested in a pre-exposure potency test (NIH test). When injected in hamsters, according to a post-exposure potency test (infection with a wild rabies virus followed by vaccination), IL 2 has no adjuvant effect on the rabies vaccine. Nevertheless, when injected alone, IL 2 protects thirty to fifty percent of the infected animals treated (1 hour, 3 and 7 days post-infection) with 10 international units of human recombinant IL 2.
Perrin
P
P
Unité de la Rage, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Joffret
M L
ML
Leclerc
C
C
Oth
D
D
Sureau
P
P
Thibodeau
L
L
D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011818:Rabies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
D007376:Interleukin-2; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins