Yao Qingxia, Huang Qinfeng, Cao Yi, Qian Ping, Chen Huanchun
Laboratory of Animal Virology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Unit of Animal Infectious Diseases, National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430070, People's Republic of China.
Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2008 Apr 15;122(3-4):309-11. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2007.09.004. Epub 2007 Oct 2.
Porcine interferon-gamma (PoIFN-gamma) fused with glutathione S-transferase (GST) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL(21). Twenty 6-week-old piglets were randomly assigned to four groups. Pigs in groups 1-3 were pretreated with 30 mg, 20 mg, and 10 mg recombinant PoIFN-gamma (rPoIFN-gamma), respectively. Pigs in group 4 (control) were pretreated with GST expressed by the empty plasmid. At 48h postinoculation (hpi), all swine were challenged with FMDV (serotype O). Pigs pretreated with 30 mg rPoIFN-gamma were completely protected from virulent FMDV attack. Pigs given 20 mg rPoIFN-gamma achieved partial protection, and the unprotected piglets showed clinical signs from 68h postchallenge (hpc). Although 10 mg rPoIFN-gamma did not confer protection against FMDV, the pigs pretreated with this dose of rPoIFN-gamma presented clinical signs from 35 hpc, which was later than the control group (14 hpc). These results indicate that PoIFN-gamma can protect swine against attack from FMDV or delay the appearance of clinical signs; the effect is dose dependent.
