Abstract
Summary
This study was undertaken to determine whether several clinically important immunosuppressive agents influenced interferon production and the protective effect of an interferon inducer in mice. Large but not uniformly lethal doses of 3 potent and clinically important immunosuppressive agents, Cytoxan, 6-MP, and Imuran had no effect on the stimulation of interferon by In·Cn and Newcastle disease virus in mice. A single dose of 500 mg/kg of body weight of Cytoxan, which is 100% lethal for mice, decreased interferon stimulation by NDV 4- to 30-fold. Treatment with In·Cn was effective in protecting Cytoxan-treated mice from fatal systemic vaccinia virus infection, even when In·Cn was begun 4 or 5 days after virus Injection. Treatment with In·Cn, begun after the dissemination of this virus, as evidenced by development of definite tail lesions, resulted in a highly significant delay in death and in a significant decrease in overall final mortality. In this systemic viral infection an interferon stimulator has been shown to exert a protective effect even when treatment was begun after the appearance of clinical signs of infection. Thus under conditions comparable to clinical usage 3 immunosuppressive agents did not alter interferon production or prevent an interferon inducer from protecting mice against a disseminated vaccinia virus infection.
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