Effects of canine distemper virus on natural killer cell activity in dogs.

An in vitro 51Cr-release assay was developed to detect the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells (NK) of canine peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes to canine distemper virus (CDV) target cell membrane-bound antigens. Leukocytes from 23 young (greater than or equal to 1 week of age), CDV-naive gnotobiotic dogs could discriminate between noninfected control and CDV-infected Vero target cells. However, the amount of preinfection NK activity did not positively correlate with the ultimate outcome of the disease process when these same dogs were given virulent R252-CDV. Evaluation of preinfection and postinfection CDV-specific NK activity indicated that infection-associated increases in cytolysis of CDV-infected or noninfected Vero targets did not occur. In vitro infection of peripheral blood leukocytes with CDV did not change the kinetics or magnitude of NK-mediated cytolysis of homologous virus-infected or other NK-susceptible target cells.