In Vitro Studies of Sandfly Fever Viruses and their Potential Significance for Vaccine Development
Abstract
Punta Toro virus (PTV) infections of inbred strains of mice have been characterized and evaluated as a model in which to study various aspects of the host response to phlebovirus infections and the requirements for protective immunity. The kinetics of viremia, antibody production, and hematologic changes in 4 and 8 week old mice have also been monitored. The data indicate that the survival of the older animals is related to their ability to delay virus replication and the development of hepatic lesions during the initial 48 hours of infection and their ability to terminate virus replication and clear virus from the circulation 4 to 5 days after infection. The mechanisms responsible for this resistance were studied using anti-interferon serum, immunosuppression and passive immunization. Thirty-six independently derived monoclonal antibodies with reactivities to PTV G1, G2, or NC were characterized in neutralization, hemagglutination, and elisa assays, and their antigenic specificities and isotypes determined. These antibodies were also assessed for their ability to provide protection in the murine model described above. The results of these studies demonstrated that neutralization epitopes exist on both G1 and G2, and that neutralizing antibodies to both antigens are capable of protecting immunocompetent animals. However, in vivo protection did not correlate directly with in vitro neutralization, and anti-G1 antibodies tended to be much more efficient in protecting immunosuppressed mice.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA211826
Entities
People
- Charles Wisseman
- J. Cole Smith
Organizations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore