Development of allergic sialadenitis in mice immunized with mumps virus-infected submandibular salivary gland

This article reports that sialadenitis developed in female, rather than male, of CRJ:CD-1 mice thymectomized 3 days after birth and later immunized with murine submandibular salivary gland cells which were infected with mumps virus (MV) in vitro. Significant inflammatory changes did not develop in various control groups, including animals not thymectomized but immunized, animals thymectomized on the day of birth and immunized, animals thymectomized at Day 3 and immunized with the uninfected cells, and animals thymectomized at Day 3 and immunized with MV alone. The presence of antisalivary duct antibody was found in sera from mice with sialadenitis. MV antigen in the lesions as well as viremia was not detected. The lesions observed in mice with sialadenitis were mostly composed of small and medium-sized lymphocytes stained by anti-Thy 1.2 and Lyt 2 antibodies and in later stages by immunoglobulin-containing cells in the periphery of inflammatory lesions. Moreover, mild inflammatory lesions were observed in parotid salivary gland or pancreas in some mice that developed sialadenitis.