Physiological significance of apoptosis in animal virus infection

In contrast to insect viruses, animal viruses can produce considerable amou nts of progeny virus in cells undergoing apoptosis. Nevertheless, viruses i n general have acquired the ability to escape apoptosis of infected cells. These facts indicate that the role of apoptosis in virus infection is diffe rent in insect virus and animal virus, although both viruses need to avoid apoptosis of the infected cells for a viral life cycle in nature. In animal virus infection, the primary role of apoptosis is considered not to be a p remature lysis of the infected cells (and the following abort ion of virus multiplication) but to allow the dying cells to be phagocytosed by macropha ges. This phagocytosis is able to prevent dysregulated inflammatory reactio ns at the site of virus infection and to initiate a specific immune respons e against the infected virus. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.