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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

A Simple and Efficient Method to Isolate Macrophages from Mixed Primary Cultures of Adult Liver Cells
Published on: May 24, 2011
Macrophages are involved in age-dependent resistance of rats to Junin virus infection
J L Blejer1, M C Remesar, M R Nejamkis
1Cátedra de Microbiología, Parasitología e Immunología, Facultad de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract:
We attempted to correlate rat age with resistance to intraperitoneal infection with the XJ strain of Junin virus. Accordingly, mortality, viral replication in macrophages and brain, as well as neutralizing antibody (NA) levels were recorded in animals inoculated at 2, 5, 10 and 26 days of life. Two-day-old animals demonstrated both the greatest mortality (86%) and viral replication in macrophages, allowing virus to reach the brain where high titers were detected. This age group also had the highest NA titers. Mortality, viral multiplication and NA titers diminished with increasing age of the animals. The ability of peritoneal macrophages to support viral replication, therefore, seems to determine rat susceptibility to intraperitoneal infection with Junin virus.

