Interactions between effector cell activity and lymphokines: implications for recovery from herpesvirus infections

The destruction of herpesvirus-infected target cells by antibody-dependent and direct cell cytotoxicity was enhanced by the presence of bovine lymphokine-containing preparations. To relate these effects to possible in vivo mechanisms of recovery, several in vitro approaches were used to measure the effects of lymphokine-containing preparations on controlling viral spread. In the first approach it was shown that in the presence of lymphokines, virus-infected cells could be killed earlier in the replication cycle by the mechanism of antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, thus possibly limiting spread of virus. That this was indeed the case was demonstrated by a decrease in the area of viral-induced cytopathology as well as in the total number of infected cells present. Secondly, the amount of infectious virus released was also markedly reduced in cultures incubated with lymphokines and immune peripheral blood lymphocytes as compared to cultures treated with either component alone. Finally, lymphokines caused the activation of macrophages. These results are discussed in terms of how various immune parameters may interact in a positive way so as to aid in the recovery from virus infection.