[The immunity indices in the infection of mice of different strains with the Machupo virus]. / Pokazateli immuniteta pri zarazhenii myshei razlichnykh linii virusom Machupo.

The pathomorphological patterns and the activity of serum interferon, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor, natural killers, and proliferative activity of lymphocytes were studied in BALB/c and C57B1/6 mice intracerebrally infected with Machupo virus. The BALB/c mice showed 100% lethality at 8-9 days after inoculation while C57B1/6 mice were found nonsusceptible to Machupo virus inoculation by this route. The pathomorphological findings at the peak of clinical manifestations in BALB/c mice revealed no organ whose functional deficiency could lead to the death of the animals. Investigations of nonspecific immunity parameters revealed a direct dependence between their high activity and susceptibility of the animals to Machupo virus infection. It is assumed that the endogenous shock due to the high activity of immune response mediators is the cause of death in Machupo virus infection.

[The immunity indices of BALB/c mice immunized with an inactivated antigen of the Machupo virus]. / Pokazateli immuniteta u myshei linii BALB/c, immunizirovannykh inaktivirovannym antigenom virusa Machupo.

The paper presents the data characterizing parameters of specific and nonspecific immunity in BALB/c mice immunized with gamma-ray-inactivated Machupo virus antigen or its formalinized antigen. The gamma-ray inactivated preparation was shown to be more immunogenic for BALB/c mice. A certain relationship between the time course of activity of nonspecific immunity factors in the immunized animals and the protective activity of the preparation under study was also noted. The decisive role of the T-cell part of the immune system was demonstrated in the resistance of this model animal to Machupo virus infection.