Recombinant human interferon-gamma inhibits adenovirus multiplication in vitro

The susceptibility of adenovirus to the inhibitory effect of human interferons in vitro was investigated. We tested recombinant human interferons-alpha 2, -beta 1 and -gamma against adenovirus serotypes 1 and 5 (group C), 3 and 7a (group B), and a wild strain isolated from an acutely ill child who later died. Pretreatment of WISH cells with interferon-gamma for 24 h induced a dose-dependent inhibition of multiplication of all adenovirus strains tested, the TCID50 varying from 25 to 90 IU/ml. Human interferon-alpha 2 was unable to decrease adenovirus multiplication, while interferon-beta 1 at 2000 IU/ml slightly lowered the yield of adenovirus. Similar results were obtained in HEp-2 and FS-4 cells, while A-549 and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were insensitive to interferon-gamma. The difference between the effects of interferon-gamma and interferon-alpha and -beta on adenovirus multiplication in vitro suggests that its mechanism of antiviral action is different.