Interleukin-4 induces mouse cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonia in a latent infection model.
To better understand immune mechanisms involved in onset of cytomegalovirus pneumonia, we initially examined the replication of a low virulence strain of mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) in nude and BALB/c mice infected by intranasal inoculation. MCMV was detected by plaque assay in the salivary glands of nude mice from days 3 to 16, and in those of BALB/c mice from days 7 to 11. Nude mice became infected with MCMV earlier than BALB/c mice. Moreover, MCMV-DNA was detected in the salivary glands until day 16 after MCMV inoculation in nude and BALB/c mice. However, we did not find evidence of interstitial pneumonia at day 16 in either BALB/c or nude mice. These results suggest that this system represents a latent infection model in BALB/c mice and a persistent infection model in nude mice. We treated latently infected BALB/c mice with methylprednisolone or IL-4 every other day. The mice treated with IL-4 developed interstitial pneumonia, whereas those treated with m-PSL did not. In the present study, we constructed a model of MCMV latent infection that could be used to induce development of interstitial pneumonia. IL-4 appears to be a key cytokine for onset of interstitial pneumonia in mice with latent MCMV infection.
Yonemitsu
J
J
Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume 830-0011, Japan. junko@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015847:Interleukin-4; D008775:Methylprednisolone