Interferon (IFN) production after inoculation with human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 10 HHV-6-seropositive healthy adults and five samples of cord blood mononuclear cells. When the cells were exposed to HHV-6 at a multiplicity of infection of 10(-2) 50% tissue culture infectious doses/cell, IFN activity was detected as early as 12 h after exposure to HHV-6, plateaued at days 2-5, and gradually decreased thereafter. IFN was also induced by ultraviolet-inactivated but not heat-inactivated HHV-6. The response of cord blood mononuclear cells was lower than that of the cells from healthy adults. The activity of all IFN samples was stable to acid and exclusively neutralized by anti-human IFN-alpha. The IFN-producing cell population was mainly non-T cells and monocytes. Furthermore, exogenous IFN suppressed HHV-6 replication. Production of IFN-alpha may be an important part of the host response to HHV-6.

We have studied NK cell activity and numbers in the peripheral blood obtained from patients with Behcet's disease and from normal healthy controls. NK cell activity in the peripheral blood of patients in the clinically-active stage of Behcet's disease was significantly lower than that of patients in the inactive stage and normal controls. In contrast, it was observed that the actual number of NK cells was markedly increased in the peripheral blood of patients with active disease. The addition of alpha-interferon (INF-alpha) to these cells showed significant augmentation of NK cell activity. These results suggest that the patients with active Behcet's disease lack a factor which activates NK cells.

The significance of interferons (IFNs) induced by Listeria monocytogenes in the antilisterial defense mechanism was studied in mice. Cyclosporin A (CsA) had no effect on IFN-alpha production that was induced in the bloodstream after intravenous infection of mice with L. monocytogenes, whereas IFN-gamma that was induced in the bloodstreams of control mice 6 h after stimulation with specific antigen in the late phase of infection was suppressed in CsA-treated mice, depending on the dose of the drug injected. The decrease in IFN-gamma production caused an increase in bacterial growth in the spleens and livers of CsA-treated mice. Furthermore, administration of a daily dose of CsA at 80 or 100 mg/kg of body weight resulted in fatal listeriosis, even though the dose was nonlethal for normal mice. The administration of recombinant murine IFN-gamma on day 0 of L. monocytogenes infection prevented CsA-treated mice from developing fatal listeriosis and restored their ability to produce IFN-gamma in the bloodstream, in response to specific antigen in the late phase of infection.

Characterization of interferon (IFN) induced by a second challenge with specific antigen was investigated during the development of hyporeactivity established after challenge of Mycobacterium bovis BCG-sensitized mice with BCG cell wall fraction (BCG-CW). When BCG-sensitized mice were challenged with BCG-CW, IFN--y was detected in the circulation 4 h later and rapidly disappeared. After IFN-,y disappeared from their blood, mice became completely hyporeactive to the second challenge with BCG-CW for 1 day, and thereafter they recovered from this hyporeactive state. However, we always observed that IFN induced at first by the second challenge with BCG-CW during the hyporeactive state was type I IFN-a/p, but thereafter was entirely IFN--y. Induction of IFN-a/p by the specific antigen during restoration from the hyporeactive state in BCGsensitized mice is discussed.on July 15, 2020 by guest

The effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on a lethal infection with Listeria monocytogenes were studied in mice. Mice were completely protected against the lethal infection when treated with 3.3 mg per kg of DEX. The effect was observed only when DEX was injected before infection. The control mice died from day 3 to day 5 of infection, whereas DEX-treated mice could eliminate L. monocytogenes cells from the organs by day 11 of infection. High titres of endogenous tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) were induced in the bloodstreams and organs of the drug-free mice. DEX suppressed IL-6 production, but augmented TNF and IFN-gamma production within 24 h of infection, whereas production of all three endogenous cytokines was suppressed in the DEX-treated mice on day 3 of infection when the control mice began to die. These results suggest that DEX shows a protective effect on a lethal infection with L. monocytogenes in mice and that regulation of production of endogenous cytokines might be involved in the effect of DEX.