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Stage of primary infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus determines predisposition or resistance of mice to secondary bacterial infections

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Abstract

We investigated the effect of a primary non-lethal infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) on the course and outcome of a secondary infection with the Gram-negative Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium or the Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes in mice. We found that at each stage of the viral infection the susceptibility of mice to bacterial super-infections changes dramatically and depends also on whether the secondary infection is a Gram-positive or Gram-negative one. The study shows that the outcome of the secondary infection is determined by a delicate balance between the overproduction of and the hypersensitivity to inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ), as well as by the changes in blood leukocytes occurring in mice in the course of viral infection.

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Acknowledgments

The investigation was supported in part by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft-SPP 1110 (Angeborene Immunität), project Fr 448/4–3. We are indebted to J. Ippisch, N. Goos, H. Stübig and H. Kochanowski for their excellent technical assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Marina Gumenscheimer

    Present address: Universitätsklinik Freiburg, Medizin I, 79106, Freiburg, Germany

  2. Sandra Balkow

    Present address: Universitätsklinik Münster, Hautklinik, 48149, Münster, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Immunbiologie, Stübeweg 51, 79 108, Freiburg/Br, Germany

    Marina Gumenscheimer, Sandra Balkow, Markus M. Simon, Chris Galanos & Marina A. Freudenberg

  2. Department of Clinical Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bari, Policlinico , Bari, Italy

    Emilio Jirillo

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  1. Marina Gumenscheimer
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  2. Sandra Balkow
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  6. Marina A. Freudenberg
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Correspondence to Marina A. Freudenberg.

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Gumenscheimer, M., Balkow, S., Simon, M.M. et al. Stage of primary infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus determines predisposition or resistance of mice to secondary bacterial infections. Med Microbiol Immunol 196, 79–88 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-006-0030-1

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