Inhibition by anti-interferon serum of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus disease in suckling mice.

Inoculation of newborn mice with lymphocytic chloriomeningitis (LCM) virus resulted in decreased weight gain, liver cell necrosis, and death. Injection of potent sheep immunoglobulin against mouse interferon markedly inhibited these manifestations of LCM virus disease despite the fact that these treated mice had 100-fold more LCM virus in their serum. We conclude that interferon induced by LCM virus is responsible in large part for the syndrome of growth inhibition, liver cell necrosis, and death observed in LCM virus-infected suckling mice.