Further studies on the relative antiviral efficacies of interferons induced by poly I:C and Mengo virus

Mouse serum interferons induced by polyI:C, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), reovirus, and Mengo virus were assayed in monolayers of mouse L-929 cells by the plaque-reduction method using both VSV and Mengo as challenge viruses. Titers obtained with Mengo virus as challenge were all lower than with VSV. With the interferons induced by VSV, reovirus, and ployI:C, the reductions were of the order of two- to three-fold. With Mengo virus-induced interferon the reduction was much greater (about 17-fold). This offers an explanation for the observation that, unit for unit (measured by the plaque reduction of VSV), Mengo virus-induced interferon is only about 1/10 as effective as polyI:C-induced interferon in protecting mice against lethal infection with Mengo virus. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that an interferon antagonist is produced in the serum of mice infected with Mengo virus. This antagonist, which is not produced in mice inoculated with polyI:C, or reovirus, effectively blocks the antiviral action of interferon during Mengo virus infections, both in vivo and in vitro.