This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Díaz-San Segundo, F. Articles by Sevilla, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Díaz-San Segundo, F. Articles by Sevilla, N.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2369-2379, Vol. 80, No. 5
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.80.5.2369-2379.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Selective Lymphocyte Depletion during the Early Stage of the Immune Response to Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection in Swine

Fayna Díaz-San Segundo,^1, Francisco J. Salguero,^1,2, Ana de Avila,¹ M. Mar Fernández de Marco,² Miguel A. Sánchez-Martín,¹ and Noemí Sevilla^1,3*

Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, INIA, 28130 Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain,¹ Departamento de Anatomía y A. Patológica Comparadas, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain,² Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain³

Received 31 July 2005/ Accepted 28 November 2005

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the causative agent of a highly contagious vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals. In the present study we use FMDV serotype C infection of swine to determine, by analytical techniques, the direct ex vivo visualization of virus-infected immune cells during the first 17 days of infection. We report, for the first time, that FMDV C-S8c1 can infect T and B cells at short periods of time postinoculation, corresponding with the peak of the viremia. There is a significant lymphopenia that involves CD3⁺ CD4^– CD8^+/–, CD3⁺ CD4^– CD8⁺Tc, and CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CD8⁺ memory Th but not CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CD8^– naïve Th lymphocytes. In addition, a profound depletion of the vast majority of peripheral T cells in lymph nodes and spleen is observed. This selective depletion of T cells is not due mainly to in situ death via apoptosis as visualized by the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique. Thus, early infection of T cells by FMDV may be the main cause of the observed T-cell depletion. Importantly, this lack of T cells is reflected in a reduced response to mitogen activation, which in many cases is totally eliminated. These data suggest a mechanism by which the virus causes a transient immunosuppression, subvert the immune systems, and spreads. These results have important implications for our understanding of early events in the development of a robust immune response against FMDV.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain. Phone: 34 91 497 8477. Fax: 34 91 497 4799. E-mail: nsevilla{at}cbm.uam.es.

These authors have contributed equally to this work.

---

Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2369-2379, Vol. 80, No. 5
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.80.5.2369-2379.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Cubillos, C., de la Torre, B. G., Jakab, A., Clementi, G., Borras, E., Barcena, J., Andreu, D., Sobrino, F., Blanco, E. (2008). Enhanced Mucosal Immunoglobulin A Response and Solid Protection against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Challenge Induced by a Novel Dendrimeric Peptide. J. Virol. 82: 7223-7230 [Abstract] [Full Text]