Enhancement of influenza virus infections by secalonic acid D

Secalonic acid D (SAD), a hepatotoxic, teratogenic, and slightly mutagenic metabolite of Penicillium oxalicum has been identified as a natural contaminant of grain dust. Secalonic acid D was administered intraperitoneally to male ICR mice that were exposed to influenza virus aerosols 5 days earlier. The mortality rate was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) in mice subjected to both influenza and SAD than those subjected to influenza alone. Virus titers in lung tissue samples at selected time intervals appeared similar for both influenza and influenza-SAD treated groups of mice for 9 days after exposure to the virus. After 9 days, influenza-SAD treated mice appeared to have higher virus titers. No difference in the pathological progression of pneumonia was discernible between these two groups of mice. The influenza-SAD group, in addition to pneumonia, exhibited severe hepatic necrosis characteristic of SAD administration. Mice infected with influenza virus followed by administration of SAD responded with significantly lower (p less than 0.05) antibody titers to influenza virus than mice exposed to influenza virus alone.