Helen G. Porter

Aleutian Disease of Mink

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the immunological parameters of the Aleutian disease of mink. The disease is of special interest because it serves as an excellent model of immune complex disease in which the antigen involved in the immune complexes is known. Viral infection produces a uniquely great antibody response with marked accumulations of plasma cells in the lymph nodes, spleen, kidney, and liver along with marked hyperglobulinemia. Immune complexes are readily demonstrable even by analytical ultracentrifugation, and viral antigen has been demonstrated in the complexes. Severe kidney disease develops in some animals, and viral antibody and antigen have been eluted from the kidney. The glomerular lesions are typical of an immune complex-mediated injury with fine granular deposits along the glomerular basement membrane that can be stained for Ig, C3, and viral antigen. Aleutian disease virus circulates as infectious antigen-antibody complexes in persistently infected mink. Smaller complexes are deposited in the glomeruli and arteries and cause severe and frequently fatal inflammatory lesions. Both the host genotype and the viral genotype influence the severity of Aleutian disease.

Isolation of Aleutian disease virus of mink in cell culture.

Aleutian disease virus, the causative agent of a persistent infection in mink, was isolated in a continuous line of feline renal cells when the cultures were maintained at reduced temperature (31.8 degrees). After serial in vitro passage of the virus at this temperature it had an optimum replication temperature of 37 degrees. An immunofluorescence focus assay was found to be suitable for virus quantitation. The cultured virus reproduced Aleutian disease in mink, and the virus could be reisolated from the mink 10--180 days after inoculation. The properties of the virus suggest that it is a member of the parvovirus group.

A glucose oxidase immunoenzyme stain for the detection of viral antigen or antibody on nitrocellulose transfer blots

Separation of mixtures of proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by transfer of the proteins to support media such as nitrocellulose and detection by immunologic procedures provides a powerful analytic tool for assaying the antibody specificity of antisera or for following the purification of antigens. This technique requires fewer assumptions about antigenic solubility or antibody reactivity than immunoprecipitation methods. We present a glucose oxidase immunoenzyme staining procedure for protein blots and illustrate its use for detecting antibody to several viruses. The glucose oxidase immunoenzyme stain has a lower background than some peroxidase stains. We have detected as little as 1 microgram/ml of antiviral antibody using this stain.

Respiratory Viral Antigens in Autopsy Lung Tissue Specimens from Patients with Cancer or Myocardial Infarction

Abstract Using immunoenzyme histochemical analysis, we retrospectively examined lung tissue specimens obtained at autopsy from 118 patients with cancer who had received chemotherapy and 20 patients who had died after myocardial infarction. Respiratory viral antigens were demonstrated in lung tissue specimens from eight of 118 cancer patients and two of 20 myocardial infarction patients. Most of the patients with demonstrable viral antigens were febrile and had signs of pulmonary infection, but in no case was pulmonary viral infection considered clinically. The following viral antigens were demonstrated: influenza A virus (6 patients), respiratory syncytial virus (2), influenza B virus (1), and parainfluenza virus type 1 (1).

Restricted viral antibody specificity in many ferrets infected with the ferret Aleutian disease parvovirus

SummaryThe majority of ferrets infected with a ferret strain of Aleutian disease virus (ADV) produce antibody only to a detergent-sensitive common determinant on the two closely related virion proteins. Ferrets with high antibody titers and mink infected with this virus also produce antibody to one or more virion immunogenic determinants unaffected by detergent.