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The role of IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 in primary and vaccine-primed immune responses to infection with Friend retrovirus (Murine leukaemia virus)

Institut für Virologie der Universität Würzburg, Versbacher Str.7, 97078 Würzburg, Germany¹
Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, MT 59840, Hamilton, USA²

Author for correspondence: Ulf Dittmer. Fax +49 931 2013934. e-mail ulf.dittmer{at}mail.uni-wuerzburg.de

The defence of a host against viral infections is strongly influenced by cytokines. We investigated the role of the B-cell stimulating cytokines IL-5 and IL-6, and the immuno-suppressive cytokine IL-10, during primary and secondary immune responses in mice against infection with Friend retrovirus (FV) (Murine leukaemia virus). IL-5^-/- mice were comparable to C57BL/6 wild-type mice in their ability to control acute FV infection. In contrast, IL-6^-/- and IL-10^-/- mice showed significantly enhanced virus loads in spleen cells. However, this impaired control of acute FV replication did not alter the long-term control over persistent FV in IL-6^-/- and IL-10^-/- mice. Immunization with a live attenuated vaccine virus prior to challenge protected all three types of cytokine-deficient mice from high levels of spleen virus, despite the finding that the vaccinated IL-5- and IL-6-deficient mice had significantly reduced titres of virus-neutralizing IgG class antibodies. The results indicate that IL-6 and IL-10 contribute to primary immune responses against FV, but are dispensable during persistent infection and vaccine-primed secondary responses.

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