ABSTRACT
The frequency of chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells of guinea pigs inoculated with the pathogenic XJ strain of Junin virus increased significantly at 6, 9, and 11 days postinoculation (p.i.). Animals inoculated with the attenuated XJ-clone 3 strain only showed significant increments of achromatic lesions (gaps) at 9 days p.i. Guinea pigs inoculated with the XJ-clone 3 strain and then treated with two doses of caffeine 24 and 12 h before killing at 9 days p.i. exhibited a significant increase of chromatid breaks and a parallel decrease of gaps. Because caffeine acts as an inhibitor of repair mechanisms of genetic damage, these results suggest a mutagenic effect of the attenuated strain.
Subject(s)
Arenaviridae/physiology , Arenaviruses, New World/physiology , Bone Marrow/pathology , Caffeine/pharmacology , Chromosome Aberrations , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/microbiology , Animals , Arenaviruses, New World/pathogenicity , Bone Marrow/microbiology , Chromosome Aberrations/drug effects , Guinea Pigs , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/genetics , Male , Mutation , VirulenceABSTRACT
The cytogenetic effect of two strains of Junin virus on bone marrow chromosomes of the guinea pig was studied. Animals infected with the attenuated strain XJ-Cl3 showed no differences from control animals. Guinea pigs inoculated with the pathogenic strain XJ exhibited a significant increase of abnormal cells, chromatid breaks, and chromosome fragments. The clastogenic ability of the XJ strain is similar to the reported effect of other viruses, while the XJ-Cl3 strain does not appear to be clastogenic.
