Protection of mice against mouse hepatitis virus by Corynebacterium parvum.

C57BL/6 mice that are highly susceptible to infection with mouse hepatitis virus type 3 were protected against intraperitoneal viral infection by simultaneous intraperitoneal injection of Corynebacterium parvum. No protection was observed when C. parvum was given intravenously or when it was injected intraperitoneally 3 days before viral infection. Protective effects were, however, consistently found when C. parvum was given 2 h before or 2 h after viral infection. Activity was seen only against 10 50% lethal doses and not against 100 50% lethal doses. C. parvum also caused a significant decrease of virus type 3. These data suggest a direct effect of C. parvum on virus-susceptible cells. Injection of C. parvum in mice caused activation of natural killer (NK) cells and of interferon production. However, these two effects were equally demonstrable at high and low doses of C. parvum, whereas protection against mouse hepatitis virus type 3 was not demonstrable at low doses of C. parvum. Thus, antiviral protection may be dissociated from activation of NK cells and induction of interferon.