Effect of immune heterozygous spleen cell transfer on resistance to mouse hepatitis virus infection in nude mice.

The role of cell mediated immune response to mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) infection in mice was studied by transferring spleen cells from immune heterozygous littermates (nu/+). A suppressive effect on viral growth was seen in infected nude (nu/nu) mice, whereas immune nu/+ serum transfer had no effect. The protective effect of immune nu/+ spleen cells was significantly reduced by treatment with anti-theta serum plus complement but not with anti-Ig serum. In infected nu/nu mice which received transfers of immune nu/+ cells, neutralizing antibody appeared although the titer was not high enough to protect nu/nu mice from fatal infection. Histopathologically, lymphocyte infiltration in hepatic lesions was evident in infected nu/nu mice with nu/+ cell transfer, while it was slight without nu/+ cell transfer.