title: Combined effects of Venezuelan equine encephalitis IIIA virus and gamma irradiation in mice.
abstract: The combined effects of injury from exposure to ionizing radiation and the potential biological warfare agent Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus remain largely unknown. To study these effects, 4- to 5-week-old B6D2F1/J female mice were given a sublethal whole-body 7 Gy dose of 60Co gamma-photon radiation followed 48 hours later by aerosol or intraperitoneal challenge with enzootic VEE IIIA virus. Survival was observed for 30 days. A single sublethal 7 Gy dose of gamma radiation reduced the LD50/30 of VEE IIIA virus, in intraperitoneal challenged mice by a factor of 10(4) from 1.1 x 10(6) plaque-forming units (pfu) to 1 x 10(2) pfu, and in aerosol challenged mice, by a factor of 5 from 70 pfu to 14 pfu. These findings further confirm there is a combined effect of exposure to ionizing radiation and biological warfare agents, which could be devastating to unprotected populations and thus should be investigated further.
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20889, USA. shoemaker@mx.afrri.usuhs.mil
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Shoemaker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tammariello
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crise
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bouhaouala
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Knudson
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051379:Mice; D010865:Pilot Projects