Objectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infectious disease is a typical disease of opportunistic infection, it makes serious conditions for children and patients with depression of immune functionand virus is exhausted to the mouth. We examined the kinetics of histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activities that suggested as the index of the inflammation of tissues after CMV infection in mouse model.

Method: Mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) Smith-strain was inoculated to BalB/c mouse, 4-weeks of age, intraperitoneally (ip). The liver, spleen, lungs and brain were removed in 1, 3, 5, 9 and 13 days after the viral infection, and they were homogenized. The HDC activity and the level of cytokine in each organ were measured.

Results: Virus was isolated in spleen and liver on 3-5 days after the infection. After the MCMV infection, significant elevations of HDC activities were showed in spleen (p<0.01), liver (p<0.01), lung (p<0.01) and brain (p<0.05). The level of IL-2 increased on the 5th day, then decreased on the 9th day, and increased again on 13th day. In spleen, VEGF level increased once, then decreased significantly (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Although MCMV is not lethal to the 4-weeks–old mouse, the elevation of the HDC activity of organs was admitted following MCMV infection, suggesting that HDC activity is also available as an index of the inflammatory after viral infection. In spleen and liver, the virus was isolated when the HDC activity elevated. It is suggested that IL-12 and TNF-a which were released from macrophage in the initial phase of virus infection, make NK Cell for IFN-g release, and inhibit the HDC activity. These inflammatory cytokine be related to proliferation and the exclusion of the virus.

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