Cellular immune mechanisms in Coxsackievirus group B, type 3 induced myocarditis in Balb/C mice.
Coxsackie B viruses are a common cause of viral myocarditis in humans. A murine model of the human disease has been developed using Coxsackievirus group B, type 3 and inbred Balb/c mice. Infection of T lymphocyte deficient mice does not result in significant myocarditis indicating the importance of T cells in this disease. The virus can be isolated from the hearts of T cell deficient and normal mice in equal concentrations. Virus elimination presumably is mediated by virus specific neutralizing antibody induced in both groups. T lymphocytes, natural killer cells and macrophage obtained from normal virus infected mice are all capable of lysing myofibers in vitro. Maximum lysis is obtained with the cytolytic T cells. When these cell populations or Coxsackievirus immune antibody were adoptively transferred into T lymphocyte deficient animals infected with the virus, only animals given T cells developed significant myocarditis.
D000818:Animals; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology