Effect of interferon on encephalomyocarditis virus infection of cultured mouse pancreatic B cells.

The M variant of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMC) produces a disease similar to human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in some but not all strains of mice. This diabetogenic M variant was found to induce fivefold more interferon than non-diabetogenic strains of EMC in cultures of mouse L 929 fibroblasts. When interferon induced by the M variant was added to monolayers of B cells from both diabetes-'susceptible' CD-1 mice and 'resistant' C57 bl/6 mice before EMC infection, B cell damage and virus replication were delayed. In addition, viral production in B cell cultures from C57 bl/6 mice was reduced five- to tenfold. A similar effect was not found when cultures from CD-1 mice were treated with interferon. Thus, interferon might play an important role in modulating the severity of the initial infection of B cells.