Anti-interleukin-3 and anti-nerve growth factor increase neonatal mice survival to reovirus type 3 clone 9 per oral challenge

Reovirus type 3 clone 9 (T3C9) induces lethal encephalitis in neonatal, but not adult mice. Whether host factors that promote the development and/or f unctioning of nervous and gastrointestinal tissues could modulate the patho genesis of this enteric virus was examined. The results showed that antibod y specific for interleukin-3 or nerve growth factor antiserum, but not anti -interleukin-6 or anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha/beta increased mice surv ival to T3C9 and decreased viral titers in nervous tissues early after infe ction. These data suggest that IL-3 and NGF are involved in the pathogenesi s of T3C9 infection in neonatal mice. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.