Immunodiagnostics, immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis in otorhinolaryngological practice. Report 3. Diagnostic approaches to the palatine tonsils functional state assessment for selecting a treatment strategy for patients with chronic tonsillitis (analytical summary)

Experimental work carried out over the past 20 years to study the activity of various functional groups in tonsillar cells in patients with chronic tonsillitis (CT) under local exposure to various immune response modifiers showed that: - tonsillar cells from CT patients in 69.5% of cases are capable of increasing their immunofunctional activity under the influence of immune modifiers in vitro reactions; - the most active of the group of immunotropic immune response modifiers are T-activin and Thymogen; - it can be considered the optimal diagnostic technique to carry out a "stress" test on the tonsil tissue using nonspecific (alternating magnetic field of industrial (low) frequency and low-frequency ultrasound) and specific — a microbial vaccine when applied to the tonsil tissue; - a non-invasive method for recording changes in the tonsils after stimulation may be fluctuations in the level of secretory immunoglobulin A and α-interferon in saliva after the test; - an increase in the level of secretory immunoglobulin A and α-interferon by more than 1/3 of the initial level after the test is a clinically favorable sign and a recommendation for medical treatment to the managing of patients with CT.

Persistent Infection and Transmission of Senecavirus A from Carrier Sows to Contact Piglets

ABSTRACT Senecavirus A (SVA) is a picornavirus that causes acute vesicular disease (VD), that is clinically indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), in pigs. Notably, SVA RNA has been detected in lymphoid tissues of infected animals several weeks following resolution of the clinical disease, suggesting that the virus may persist in select host tissues. Here, we investigated the occurrence of persistent SVA infection and the contribution of stressors (transportation, immunosuppression, or parturition) to acute disease and recrudescence from persistent SVA infection. Our results show that transportation stress leads to a slight increase in disease severity following infection. During persistence, transportation, immunosuppression, and parturition stressors did not lead to overt/recrudescent clinical disease, but intermittent viremia and virus shedding were detected up to day 60 postinfection (p.i.) in all treatment groups following stress stimulation. Notably, real-time PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) assays confirmed that the tonsil harbors SVA RNA during the persistent phase of infection. Immunofluorescence assays (IFA) specific for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) demonstrated the presence of double-stranded viral RNA in tonsillar cells. Most importantly, infectious SVA was isolated from the tonsil of two animals on day 60 p.i., confirming the occurrence of carrier animals following SVA infection. These findings were supported by the fact that contact piglets (11/44) born to persistently infected sows were infected by SVA, demonstrating successful transmission of the virus from carrier sows to contact piglets. Results here confirm the establishment of persistent infection by SVA and demonstrate successful transmission of the virus from persistently infected animals. IMPORTANCE Persistent viral infections have significant implications for disease control strategies. Previous studies demonstrated the persistence of SVA RNA in the tonsil of experimentally or naturally infected animals long after resolution of the clinical disease. Here, we showed that SVA establishes persistent infection in SVA-infected animals, with the tonsil serving as one of the sites of virus persistence. Importantly, persistently infected carrier animals shedding SVA in oral and nasal secretions or feces can serve as sources of infection to other susceptible animals, as evidenced by successful transmission of SVA from persistently infected sows to contact piglets. These findings unveil an important aspect of SVA infection biology, suggesting that persistently infected pigs may function as reservoirs for SVA.

Inhibition of Epstein-Barr Virus Replication in Human Papillomavirus-Immortalized Keratinocytes

ABSTRACTEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated in the pathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). EBV-associated cancers harbor a latent EBV infection characterized by a lack of viral replication and the expression of viral oncogenes. Cellular changes promoted by HPV are comparable to those shown to facilitate EBV latency, though whether HPV-positive cells support a latent EBV infection has not been demonstrated. Using a model of direct EBV infection into HPV16-immortalized tonsillar cells grown in organotypic raft culture, we showed robust EBV replication in HPV-negative rafts but little to no replication in HPV-immortalized rafts. The reduced EBV replication was independent of immortalization, as human telomerase-immortalized normal oral keratinocytes supported robust EBV replication. Furthermore, we observed reduced EBV lytic gene expression and increased expression of EBER1, a noncoding RNA highly expressed in latently infected cells, in the presence of HPV. The use of human foreskin keratinocyte rafts expressing the HPV16 E6 and/or E7 oncogene(s) (HPV E6 and E7 rafts) showed that E7 was sufficient to reduce EBV replication. EBV replication is dependent upon epithelial differentiation and the differentiation-dependent expression of the transcription factors KLF4 and PRDM1. While KLF4 and PRDM1 levels were unaltered, the expression levels of KLF4 transcriptional targets, including late differentiation markers, were reduced in HPV E6 and E7 rafts compared to their levels in parental rafts. However, the HPV E7-mediated block in EBV replication correlated with delayed expression of early differentiation markers. Overall, this study reveals an HPV16-mediated block in EBV replication, through E7, that may facilitate EBV latency and long-term persistence in the tumor context.IMPORTANCEUsing a model examining the establishment of EBV infection in HPV-immortalized tissues, we showed an HPV-induced interruption of the normal EBV life cycle reminiscent of a latent EBV infection. Our data support the notion that a persistent EBV epithelial infection depends upon preexisting cellular alterations and suggest the ability of HPV to promote such changes. More importantly, these findings introduce a model for how EBV coinfection may influence HPV-positive (HPV-pos) OSCC pathogenesis. Latently EBV-infected epithelial cells, as well as other EBV-associated head-and-neck carcinomas, exhibit oncogenic phenotypes commonly seen in HPV-pos OSCC. Therefore, an HPV-induced shift in the EBV life cycle toward latency would not only facilitate EBV persistence but also provide additional viral oncogene expression, which can contribute to the rapid progression of HPV-pos OSCC. These findings provide a step toward defining a role for EBV as a cofactor in HPV-positive oropharyngeal tumors.

Detachment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 from Germinal Centers by Blocking Complement Receptor Type 2

ABSTRACT After the transition from the acute to the chronic phase of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, complement mediates long-term storage of virions in germinal centers (GC) of lymphoid tissue. The contribution of particular complement receptors (CRs) to virus trapping in GC was studied on tonsillar specimens from HIV-infected individuals. CR2 (CD21) was identified as the main binding site for HIV in GC. Monoclonal antibodies (MAb) blocking the CR2-C3d interaction were shown to detach 62 to 77% of HIV type 1 from tonsillar cells of an individual in the presymptomatic stage. Although they did so at a lower efficiency, these antibodies were able to remove HIV from tonsillar cells of patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy, suggesting that the C3d-CR2 interaction remains a primary entrapment mechanism in treated patients as well. In contrast, removal of HIV was not observed with MAb blocking CR1 or CR3. Thus, targeting CR2 may facilitate new approaches toward a reduction of residual virus in GC.

Effect of oestradiol-17β on the expression of oestrogen receptor mRNA in human tonsillar cells

ABSTRACT We have investigated the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER) mRNA in Ficoll-separated tonsillar cells and the changes that occur with the addition of oestradiol (OE2) both in the presence and the absence of the T cell mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). The amounts of ER mRNA and β-actin mRNA in the samples were determined by slot blotting and hybridization and quantified by densitometry. The levels of ER mRNA were normalized against the β-actin mRNA content. In the presence of OE2 (7×10−8m) after a 10-h culture there was a significant decrease (P<0·05) to about 66% of the control (0-h culture) ER mRNA levels. Stimulating the cultures with PHA (1 μg/ml, without the presence of OE2, had no effect on the expression of ER mRNA. However, when OE2 was present in a 10-h culture of PHA-stimulated cells, the ER mRNA level was significantly decreased (P<0·05) to about 60% of control levels. In 24-h cultures, the presence of OE2 and/or PHA had no effect. When separated T cell preparations from the tonsils were used, no significant effects of OE2 were seen in either the 10-h or 24-h cultures. In conclusion, OE2 downregulates the ER mRNA content in a tonsillar mononuclear cell system in vitro as it does in many primary oestrogen target cells.