Klein S L, Bird B H, Glass G E
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2179, USA.
J Virol. 2000 Sep;74(17):8213-7. doi: 10.1128/jvi.74.17.8213-8217.2000.
Field studies of hantavirus infection in rodents report that a higher percentage of infected individuals are males than females. To determine whether males were more susceptible to hantavirus infection than females, adult male and female Long Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus) were inoculated with doses of Seoul virus ranging from 10(-4) to 10(6) PFU. The 50% infective doses (ID(50)) were not significantly different for male and female rats (10(0.05) and 10(0.8) PFU, respectively). To determine whether sex differences in response to infection were related to circulating sex steroid hormones, sex steroid concentrations were manipulated and antibody responses and virus shedding were assessed following inoculation with the ID(90). Regardless of hormone treatment, males had higher anti-Seoul virus immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG2a (i.e., Th1) responses than females and IgG1 (i.e., Th2) responses similar to those of females. Males also shed virus in saliva and feces longer than females. Manipulation of sex steroids in adulthood did not alter immune responses or virus shedding, suggesting that sex steroids may organize adult responses to hantavirus earlier during ontogeny.
对啮齿动物汉坦病毒感染的野外研究报告称，受感染个体中雄性的比例高于雌性。为了确定雄性是否比雌性更易感染汉坦病毒，将成年雄性和雌性长爪沙鼠（褐家鼠）接种剂量范围为10^(-4)至10^6 PFU的汉城病毒。雄性和雌性大鼠的50%感染剂量（ID50）无显著差异（分别为10^(0.05)和10^(0.8) PFU）。为了确定对感染反应的性别差异是否与循环中的性类固醇激素有关，对接种ID90后的性类固醇浓度进行了调控，并评估了抗体反应和病毒排泄情况。无论激素处理如何，雄性对汉城病毒的免疫球蛋白G（IgG）和IgG2a（即Th1）反应均高于雌性，而IgG1（即Th2）反应与雌性相似。雄性在唾液和粪便中排出病毒的时间也比雌性长。成年期对性类固醇的调控并未改变免疫反应或病毒排泄情况，这表明性类固醇可能在个体发育早期就对成年个体对汉坦病毒的反应进行了组织。
