Interferon induction with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid in the newborn piglet

Newborn piglets were treated with various doses of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid intravenously and their serum interferon responses determined by a plaque reduction assay with vesicular stomatitis virus in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells. A single dose of 5 mg of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid was found consistently to induce detectable levels of interferon in serum, while the response to lower doses was inconsistent and higher doses produced clinical signs of toxicity. Piglets receiving 5 mg of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid had maximum serum interferon titers between four and eight hours after treatment, and interferon was no longer detected at 72 hours after treatment. Following treatment with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid leukopenia was observed, coincident with peak serum interferon titers. Elevated levels of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and blood urea, indicative of hepatic and renal dysfunction respectively, were also observed following interferon induction with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid. Piglets treated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid also demonstrated antiviral activity in their intestinal mucosal tissues and intestinal washes, but the antiviral activity in the intestinal wash was not characterizable as interferon. A factor in the intestinal washes from newborn piglets was found to antagonize the antiviral effects of interferon by enhancing the plaque forming ability of vesicular stomatitis virus.