Murine coronavirus-induced subacute fatal peritonitis in C57BL/6 mice deficient in gamma interferon.
Gamma interferon-deficient (IFN-gamma-/-) mice with a C57BL/6 background were infected intraperitoneally with mouse hepatitis virus strain JHM (JHMV). In contrast to IFN-gamma-+/- and IFN-gamma+/+ mice, JHMV persisted in IFN-gamma-/- mice and induced death during the subacute phase of the infection. Unexpectedly, infected IFN-gamma-/- mice showed severe peritonitis accompanying the accumulation of a viscous fluid in the abdominal and thoracic cavities in the subacute phase. Destructive changes of hepatocytes were not observed. Administration of recombinant IFN-gamma protracted the survival time of IFN-gamma-/- mice after JHMV infection. These results demonstrate that IFN-gamma plays a critical role in viral clearance in JHMV infection. They also show that a resultant persistent JHMV infection induces another form of disease in IFN-gamma-/- mice, which bears a resemblance to feline infectious peritonitis in cats.
Department of Animal Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108, Japan. kyuwa@gpo.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
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Kyuwa
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Tagawa
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Shibata
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Doi
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Machii
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Iwakura
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016766:Feline Infectious Peritonitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D000410:Alanine Transaminase