Depression of T Cell-Mediated Immunity and Enhancement of Autoantibody Production by Natural Infection with Microorganisms in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR)

• Published in: MICROBIOLOGY and IMMUNOLOGY Vol. 32; no. 12; pp. 1235 - 1244
• Main Authors: Takeichi, Noritoshi, Hamada, Jun-ichi, Takimoto, Masato, Fujiwara, Kosaku, Kobayashi, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.1988; Center For Academic Publications Japan; Center for Academic Publications Japan
• Subjects: Animals; Antilymphocyte Serum - analysis; Autoantibodies - biosynthesis; Bacterial Infections - complications; Bacterial Infections - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hypertension - complications; Hypertension - immunology; Immune Tolerance; Immunity, Cellular; Immunobiology; Modulation of the immune response (stimulation, suppression); Murine hepatitis virus; Mycoplasma pulmonis; Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human; Paramyxoviridae Infections - complications; Paramyxoviridae Infections - immunology; Polyarteritis Nodosa - complications; Polyarteritis Nodosa - immunology; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Sendai virus; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Virus Diseases - complications; Virus Diseases - immunology; Hypertension; Cell proliferation; Rat; Cytotoxicity test; Thymocyte; Rodentia; Autoantibody; Environmental factor; Biosynthesis; Cellular immunity; Hemolytic plaque test; Infection; Vertebrata; Immunosuppression; Mammalia; Viral disease; T-Lymphocyte; Bacteriosis
• ISSN: 0385-5600; 1348-0421
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1988.tb01487.x

We studied the effects of breeding conditions on the development of immunological abnormalities in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with congenital T cell depression. The depression of T cell functions, the production of natural thymocytotoxic autoantibody (NTA), and the development of polyarteritis nodosa were more evident in SHR reared under a conventional (CV) environment than in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) SHR bred in a semi-barrier system. Enhancement of these immunologic abnormalities was also observed by the conventionalization of SPF-SHR. A high frequency of antibodies to mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), Sendai virus, and Mycoplasma pulmonis was detected in CV rat sera, whereas no antibodies were detected in SPF-SHR. The experimental infection of Sendai virus induced the enhancement of T cell depression and of NTA production in SPF-SHR. We interpret these results to mean that the natural infection of microorganisms causes an acceleration of immunologic abnormalities in SHR reared in a CV environment.