Infection with classical swine fever virus: effects on phenotype and immune responsiveness of porcine T lymphocytes

• Published in: Journal of general virology 1998-01, Vol.79 (1), p.31-40
• Main Authors: Pauly, T, Konig, M, Thiel, HJ, Saalmuller, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, CD - analysis; Cell Division; Classical Swine Fever - blood; Classical Swine Fever - immunology; Humans; Phenotype; Swine; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - classification; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - virology; T-Lymphocytes - classification; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - virology; Thymus Gland - cytology; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Viral Envelope Proteins - analysis
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-79-1-31

T Pauly, M Konig, HJ Thiel and A Saalmuller Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, Tubingen, Germany. T lymphocytes obtained from pigs infected with a lethal dose of classical swine fever virus were analysed for phenotypic changes in the composition of T-cell subpopulations and for alterations in their immune responsiveness in vitro during the course of disease. Viral antigen detected in all subpopulations and the selective depletion of CD4- CD8- gamma/delta T cells showed that peripheral blood T lymphocytes were affected in the terminal stage (14-19 days post- infection) of classical swine fever whereas no implications for T lymphocytes were obvious during the first 10 days after infection. Furthermore, a depletion of CD1+ CD4+ CD8+ 'common thymocytes' was characteristic for the infected animals. Studies on immune functions of peripheral T lymphocytes revealed an abrogation of cellular immune responses as early as 3-5 days after infection and thus before detection of viral antigens in these cells. The data suggest that early immunosuppression represents a crucial event for the manifestation of classical swine fever.