The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Acute Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection in BALB/c Mice

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Abstract
The role of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) in acute lethal and sublethal murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection in BALB/c mice was examined. During the course of acute infection, TNFα was not detectable in the serum or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, while TNFα was uniformly detected in both serum and BAL following intravenous administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Administration of recombinant murine (rMu) TNFα did not consistently alter the virus content of tissues during acute infection. Passive transfer of purified polyclonal immunoglobulin containing neutralizing antibody to TNFα did not alter mortality or MCMV replication in tissues during acute infection but did block the TNFα response when LPS was administered to BALB/c mice. Thus, TNFα appears to play little role in the course and outcome ofacute MCMV infection.

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