[The effect of myelopeptides on the persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in monkeys].

Myelopeptides (MP), bioregulatory molecules of bone marrow origin, exert a protective effect in persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). The experiments involved 32 monkeys. The effect of MP was observed after one or two subcutaneous injections in a dose of 1 mg within 1.5-2 months after virus infection. The effect consists in 25-fold reduction of the frequency of virus persistence, marked limitation of the zone of spread of the persisting virus, including the central nervous system (CNS), decrease in virulence of the persisting virus, and lack of morphological signs of progress of the pathological process in the CNS. The protective effect was also observed when the infected monkeys were treated with MP and inactivated concentrated TBE vaccine. At the same time, the vaccine alone exerted a much less marked effect on the persisting TBE virus producing only a 2-fold reduction in the frequency of persistence without limitation of the zones of virus spread. In acute TBE in BALB/c mice, the effect of MP is observed irregularly. The marked protective effect of MP in TBE virus persistence in monkeys is not associated with stimulation of humoral immunity but is mediated by other immunological mechanisms requiring further study.