Porcine effector mechanisms: antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity of pseudorabies-infected target cells.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against pseudorabies virus (PRV)-infected cells was determined in neonatal porcine pulmonary washout cells and in partially purified blood-derived leukocytes. The ADCC assays were performed at approximately 1, 2, 3 and 11 days after birth. It was found that pulmonary-derived cells had a low level of cytolytic activity against the PRV-infected target cells at about 1 day of age. This activity increased sharply during the next 2 days of age, but declined somewhat by 11 days of age. The increase in ADCC activity paralleled closely the increase in the relative and absolute numbers of macrophages in the alveolar washout fluids. ADCC activity was high at all times in blood-derived neutrophils, and present in blood-derived lymphocytes, but at a lower level of activity.