engleski

In vivo modulating effect of Baypamun on immune responses of horses experimentally infected with equine infectious anemia virus

The question, which remains to be clearly elucidated in the field of immunomodulation, is its clinical application. Theoretically, immunomodulation should restore or stimulate nonspecific and specific defective immune mechanisms, and hence, lead to the enhancement of natural resistance and development of adaptive responses to infectious agents. The immunomodulation has particular potential in overcoming the immunosuppressive effects of those infectious agents that damage or interfere with the functioning of immune cells, or that produce a persistent infection. Immunosuppression is a typical feature of most lentiviral infections of both animals and man. The immune control of equine infectious anemia (EIA) infection is ineffective due to the emerging mutants of EIA virus (EIAV) which escape immunological inactivation and exclusively infect cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the nonspecific immunization of horses with the parapoxvirus - based immune response modifier (IRM) Baypamun (BPM) could enhance their immune responsiveness to the challenge infection with Wyoming strain of EIAV. Six horses were given intramuscularly 2 ml of BPM at Day -2 and Day 0 prior to the experimental infection with 10 ml of blood from EIAV-infected horse. Five of 6 BPM-treated horses (principals) and 3 of 3 horses that received diluent only (controls) developed anti-EIAV antibodies 12 days following the infection. The principals had significantly elevated (P < 0.05) serum IgG and IgG(T) levels as compared to the controls. The PBL from BPM-treated horses exhibited much stronger proliferation (P < 0.01) than did the cells from nontreated horses. In the peripheral blood of principals we have found more CD4^+ T and B-sub.^+ cells (P < 0.05). Their PBL had about two times higher DC and ADCC activities (10.5% and 42.7%, respectively) against autologous target (virus-infected) lymphoblasts when compared to those (6.0% and 20.2%, respectively) of the controls. These data indicate that BPM could be recommended as an effective IRM for stimulating the protective immunity in horses experimentally infected with EIAV.

Immunomodulation; equine infectious anemia; horse

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