Interleukin-4 Induces Mouse Cytomegalovirus Interstitial Pneumonia in a Latent Infection Model

• Published in: Kurume medical journal Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 49 - 54
• Main Author: YONEMITSU, JUNKO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Kurume University School of Medicine 2001
• Subjects: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Viral - analysis; Herpesviridae Infections - etiology; Herpesviridae Infections - immunology; Herpesviridae Infections - virology; interleukin 4; Interleukin-4 - pharmacology; interstitial pneumonia; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - etiology; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - immunology; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - virology; Male; Methylprednisolone - pharmacology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; mouse cytomegalovirus; Muromegalovirus - physiology; Virus Replication
• ISSN: 0023-5679; 1881-2090
• DOI: 10.2739/kurumemedj.48.49

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.