Murine LCM Virus Infection: Tolerance and Immunity

Summary

Evaluation of experimental results obtained during work with the murine LCM model is difficult because of the great number of variables which have to be taken into consideration. In this paper, an attempt is made at interpreting comprehensively the various patterns of reactions of the mouse towards the virus. Experiments were performed in an attempt to elucidate the role which a soluble virus antigen may play in inducing LCM virus-specific immunological tolerance. Its chemical composition is unknown. Though it is an effective antigen in serological assays, e.g. complement fixation, its immunogenic potential in mice is low. Tolerant virus carrier mice have more antigen in their organs than have mice infected intraperitoneally, although the virus concentrations do not differ significantly. However, this phenomenon does not seem to be causally related to the state of tolerance since the soluble antigen per se is non-tolerogenic.

The results suggest that my previous hypothesis accounting for LCM virus tolerance should be extended so that specific continuous immunosuppression is due to replication of the viral genome in the LCM virus-reactive cells of the immune apparatus of the host.