Variable effects of dengue virus-induced cytotoxic factors on different subpopulations of macrophages.

Dengue virus (DV) induces T lymphocytes of the spleen to produce a cytotoxic factor (CF) that induces a subpopulation of macrophages (M phi) to produce a soluble cytotoxin (CF2). Both these factors kill normal lymphoid cells and M phi. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of these factors on the I-A-positive and I-A-negative subpopulations of mouse peritoneal M phi. It was observed that CF kills I-A-negative M phi and induces I-A-positive M phi to produce the CF2 that kills both types of cells. However, even when combined together, CF and CF2 do not kill 100% of the M phi. The two-step mechanism involving co-operation between T cells and M phi appears to be biologically economical for maintaining the cytotoxic pathway.