IMMUNITY PARAMETERS IN MICE OF DIFFERENT LINES INFECTED WITH MACHUPO VIRUS

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