Immunosuppression abrogates resistance of young rabbits to Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) |
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| Authors: | Raquel M Marques Luzia Teixeira Artur P águas Joana C Ribeiro António Costa-e-Silva Paula G Ferreira |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Department of Anatomy, ICBAS (Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Science) and UMIB (Unit for Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) is caused by a calicivirus (RHDV) that kills 90% of infected adult European rabbits within 3 days. Remarkably, young rabbits are resistant to RHD. We induced immunosuppression in young rabbits by treatment with methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) and challenged the animals with RHDV by intramuscular injection. All of these young rabbits died within 3 days of infection due to fulminant hepatitis, presenting a large number of RHDV-positive dead or apoptotic hepatocytes, and a significant seric increase in cytokines, features that are similar to those of naïve adult rabbits infected by RHDV. We conclude that MPA-induced immunosuppression abrogates the resistance of young rabbits to RHD, indicating that there are differences in the innate immune system between young and adult rabbits that contribute to their distinct resistance/susceptibility to RHDV infection. |
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