Abstract
A series of challenge experiments were performed in order to investigate the acute phase responses to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection in cattle and possible implications for the development of persistently infected "carriers". The host response to infection was investigated through measurements of the concentrations of the acute phase proteins (APPs) serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (HP), as well as the bioactivity of type 1 interferon (IFN) in serum of infected animals. Results were based on measurements from a total of 36 infected animals of which 24 were kept for observational periods exceeding 28 days in order to determine the carrier-status of individual animals. The systemic host response to FMDV in infected animals was evaluated in comparison to similar measurements in sera from 6 mock-inoculated control animals. There was a significant increase in serum concentrations of both APPs and type 1 IFN in infected animals coinciding with the onset of viremia and clinical disease. The measured parameters declined to baseline levels within 21 days after inoculation, indicating that there was no systemically measurable inflammatory reaction related to the carrier state of FMD. There was a statistically significant difference in the HP response between carriers and non-carriers with a lower response in the animals that subsequently developed into FMDV carriers. It was concluded that the induction of SAA, HP and type 1 IFN in serum can be used as markers of acute infection by FMDV in cattle.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 66 |
| Journal | Veterinary research |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was financed in part by a PhD scholarship to CS funded by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Research School for Animal Production and Health at the Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University. The EU network of excellence “EPIZONE"(FP6-2004-Food-3-A) has contributed to this work through a “short term mission” with technical training of CS at the IAH-Pirbright, UK. Bryan Charleston and Nick Juleff are thanked for their assistance during this visit and for supplying reagents and cells. Dr Philip Griebel, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, is thanked for supplying antibodies for the haptoglobin assay. Soren Alexandersen, CFIA-NCAD, Winnipeg, Canada, is thanked for having supplied the original virus inoculum and for his involvement in initiating the PhD project within which this work has been performed. Bertel Strandbygaard is acknowledged for assistance with computer software for analysis of test results. Animal caretakers Henrik Andersen, Janni Oxfeldt, Heidi Lehman, Ove Bille and Marion Petersen are thanked for their assistance during animal experiments. Jane Borch, Jani Christiansen, Jonna Jensen, Tina Rasmussen and Tina Frederiksen are thanked for excellent technical assistance with the analysis of samples.