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Immunologic Effects of Neonatal Infection with Mouse Thymic Virus

From the Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014 and Microbiological Associates, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

Abstract

Mouse thymic virus is a herpesvirus that causes extensive thymic necrosis when given to newborn mice. During the time of acute infection spleen cells have markedly diminished reactivity to T cell phytomitogens and to allogeneic cells and are incapable of effecting a primary in vitro response to a "T-dependent" antigen; responses to B cell mitogens and to a T-independent antigen are unimpaired. Spleens from acutely infected mice have low antigen content and depletion of T-dependent areas, but have normal numbers of immunoglobulin-bearing cells. Surprisingly, despite widespread necrosis and cellular depletion, thymic cell reactivity to mitogens is unimpaired. However, the ability of thymocytes to proliferate and to generate cytotoxic killer cells in response to allogeneic cells is diminished.