Role of alveolar type II cells and of surfactant-associated protein C mRNA levels in the pathogenesis of respiratory distress in mink kits infected with Aleutian mink disease parvovirus

• Published in: Journal of Virology Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 2720 - 2725
• Main Authors: Viuff, B, Aasted, B, Alexandersen, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.04.1994
• Subjects: Aleutian disease virus; Aleutian Mink Disease - etiology; Aleutian Mink Disease Virus - genetics; Aleutian Mink Disease Virus - growth & development; ANIMALES JOVENES; Animals; Animals, Newborn; ARN MENSAJERO; ARN MESSAGER; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Viral - isolation & purification; ENFERMEDAD ALEUTIANA; ENFERMEDADES RESPIRATORIAS; Experimental viral diseases and models; EXPRESION GENICA; EXPRESSION DES GENES; Humans; In Situ Hybridization; Infant, Newborn; Infectious diseases; JEUNE ANIMAL; MALADIE ALEOUTIENNE DU VISON; MALADIE RESPIRATOIRE; Medical sciences; Mink; Molecular Sequence Data; Mustela; NEUMONIA; PARVOVIRIDAE; PATHOGENESE; PATOGENESIS; PNEUMONIE; POUMON; PROTEINAS; PROTEINE; Proteolipids - biosynthesis; Proteolipids - genetics; Pulmonary Alveoli - cytology; Pulmonary Alveoli - metabolism; Pulmonary Alveoli - microbiology; Pulmonary Surfactants - biosynthesis; Pulmonary Surfactants - genetics; PULMONES; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - veterinary; RNA Probes; RNA, Messenger - isolation & purification; Viral diseases; VISON; Fissipedia; Lung disease; Alveolar type II cell; Animal model; Carnivora; Pneumonia; Parvovirus; Respiratory disease; Pathogenesis; Infection; Virus; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Pulmonary surfactant; Parvoviridae; Newborn animal; Viral disease; Aleutian mink disease virus; Respiratory distress
• ISSN: 0022-538X; 1098-5514
• DOI: 10.1128/jvi.68.4.2720-2725.1994

Neonatal mink kits infected with Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) develop an acute interstitial pneumonia with clinical symptoms and pathological lesions that resemble those seen in preterm human infants with respiratory distress syndrome and in human adults with adult respiratory distress syndrome. We have previously suggested that ADV replicates in the alveolar type II epithelial cells of the lung. By using double in situ hybridization, with the simultaneous use of a probe to detect ADV replication and a probe to demonstrate alveolar type II cells, we now confirm this hypothesis. Furthermore, Northern (RNA) blot hybridization showed that the infection caused a significant decrease of surfactant-associated protein C mRNA produced by the alveolar type II cells. We therefore suggest that the severe clinical symptoms and pathological changes characterized by hyaline membrane formation observed in ADV-infected mink kits are caused by a dysfunction of alveolar surfactant similar to that observed in respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. However, in the infected mink kits the dysfunction is due to the replication of ADV in the lungs, whereas the dysfunction of surfactant in preterm infants is due to lung immaturity