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National Institute of Animal Health, Shichinohe, Kamikita, Aomori 039-2586, Japan
| Abstract |
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Key words: Bovine adenovirus type 3; bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; calves; CD8; dexamethasone treatment; immunohistochemistry; pneumonia.
| Introduction |
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The purpose of this study was to examine respiratory tissues from 7-day-old, dexamethasone (DM)-treated 1.5-month-old, and nonDM-treated 1.5-month-old calves inoculated endobronchially (EB) with BAV-3. Pathologic changes and the distribution of BAV-3 antigen, IgG-, IgM-, and IgA-containing B cells, and CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the pneumonic lesions were described using an immunoperoxidase technique. We also examined bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid for virus isolation, detection of viral inclusion bodies, and BAV-3 antigen in the desquamated epithelial cells.
| Materials and Methods |
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BAV-3 was isolated from a calf in Japan that exhibited signs of pneumonia, coughing, and serious rhinitis. After plaque purification, the virus was identified as BAV by biophysical characterization and more specifically as BAV-3 by a cross-neutralization test. After the virus was propagated in bottle cultures of Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells, aliquots of the virus were kept frozen (at -80 C) until they were used as inoculum. Bovine viral diarrhea virus-free was confirmed by the methods described previously.19,24
Animals
Twelve male Holstein calves were used in this experiment and were divided into four groups (Tables 1 and 2). Group 1 consisted of three 7-day-old infected calves (calf Nos. 13); groups 2 (calf Nos. 46) and 3 (calf Nos. 79) consisted of six 1.5-month-old infected calves; and group 4 consisted of three uninfected calves used as controlsone 7-day-old (calf No. 10) and two 1.5-month-old (calf Nos. 11 and 12). All 12 calves had received colostrum within a few hours of birth and had neutralizing antibody against BAV-3 at levels ranging from 1:4 to 1:64. The nine experimental calves were kept in separate isolation pens throughout the experiment, and the three control calves were likewise kept in similar pens to prevent cross-infection.
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Four 1.5-month-old calves (calf Nos. 79 and 12) were injected intravenously with seven consecutive daily doses of 0.1 mg of DM/kg of body weight. On day 5 of DM treatment, three of these calves (calf Nos. 79) were inoculated EB with BAV-3. Before inoculation with BAV-3, all 12 calves were given atropine hydrochloride (2 mg in a 4-ml dose volume, intramuscularly) and were anaesthetized with xylazin (2 ml/head, intravenously). The six calves in groups 1 and 2 (calf Nos. 16) and the three 5th DM-treated calves in group 3 (calf Nos. 79) were inoculated EB with 10 ml (105.0 TCID50/0.1 ml) of viral suspension by means of a bronchofibroscope (Olympus type 10; Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). This instrument was inserted into the right main bronchus of the caudal lobe. The procedure was completed within 10 minutes for each calf. One calf from each group was killed by an intravenous overdose of barbiturates on each of the three postinoculation days (PIDs), days 3, 5, and 7. The three control calves in group 4 (calf Nos. 1012), including 5th DM-treated calf (calf No. 12), also were inoculated EB with 10 ml of noninfected maintenance medium and killed on PID 5. The clinical signs and body temperatures of all calves were observed at least twice daily during the experiment.
Cytologic evaluation of BAL fluid
After removal of the lungs at necropsy, a cannula (4 mm in diameter) was inserted into each of the right and left bronchi on the caudal lobes. Thirty milliliters of sterile phosphate-buffered saline was then introduced and immediately withdrawn. The BAL fluid was recovered, 20 ml was placed in a sterile bottle, and the number of nucleated cells per microliter of BAL was counted. One slide prepared from the centrifuged cells was stained with a Diff-Quik kit (International Reagent Corporation, Kobe, Japan) and another was fixed with cold acetone for 5 minutes and stored at 20 C for subsequent immunohistochemical examination. Evaluation included a 200-cell differential count and a morphologic description of the cells.
Viral isolation
BAL fluid samples (1 ml each) collected separately from the right and left caudal lobes were centrifuged at 3,000 rpm, and 1 ml of maintenance medium without bovine serum was added to each cell pellet. The cells were then stored at -80 C until use. The samples were subjected to ultrasonic disruption for 20 seconds at 4 C, and 0.1 ml decimal dilution of each sample was inoculated onto confluent cultures of MDBK cells in a 96-well microtitre plate. The cells were examined daily for 1 week for cytopathogenic effects to determine the presence and titer (TCID50) of BAV-3.
Histopathology and immunohistochemistry
All calves was subjected to necropsy, and the extent of pneumonia in the caudal lobe was recorded as follows: 0, nil; 1, 125%; 2, 2650%; 3, 5175%; and 4, 76100%.
Specimens from each calf were collected and fixed in buffered 10% formalin. Three tissue samples of the right and left cranial lobes were collected from uniform sites from each calf, in addition to three from each of the right and left middle lobes, nine from each of the right and left caudal lobes, and three from the accessory lobe. All specimens were embedded in paraffin wax, and sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE staining).
The presence of BAV-3 antigens in the formalin-fixed, paraffin waxembedded tissues and cold acetone-fixed BAL fluid cells was demonstrated by the streptavidinbiotin complex immunoperoxidase (SAB-IP) method, using an SAB kit (Nichirei Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). AntiBAV-3 rabbit serum was used as the primary antibody at a dilution of 1:8,000.19 The presence of antibovine IgG, IgM, and IgA in the pneumonic lesions in paraffin sections was demonstrated using a simple stain MAXPO kit (Nichirei Corp.). Rabbit antibovine IgG-Fab fragment (Bethyl Laboratories Inc., Montgomery, TX), rabbit anti-IgM mu chain specific (Bethyl Laboratories Inc.), and rabbit antibovine IgA-alpha chain specific (Bethyl Laboratories Inc.) were used as the primary antibodies at a dilution of 1:2,000 each. The presence of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in three parts of the pneumonic lesions from right caudal lobe of the cryostat sections was demonstrated by using SAB kit (Nichirei Corporation). Antibovine CD4 (VMRD Inc., Pullman, WA) and anti-CD8 (VMRD Inc.) monoclonal antibodies were used at dilution of 1:200 and 1:1,600, respectively. The samples were counterstained with methyl green. Tissue sections from the uninfected control calves and sera from nonimmunized rabbits and mice were used as controls. The mean positive number of B and T lymphocytes was counted from five fields of 200x.
Small portions of the pneumonic lesions from the right caudal lobes were prepared for electron microscopy by post-fixing them in 1% osmium tetroxide, then dehydrating and embedding them in Epon mixture. Ultrathin sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined with a TEM-100 CX electron microscope.
| Results |
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None of the calves in any group showed clinical evidence for respiratory disease or diarrhea at any time during the course of the experiments. Several infected calves in each group exhibited a slight rise in rectal temperature (more than 39.5 C) that lasted for 12 days. The control calves remained normal.
Analysis of BAL cells
Table 1 shows the results of the analysis of BAL cells. The total number of cells in the BAL fluid from the right and left caudal lobes ranged from 0.2 x 105.0/ml to 0.4 x 105.0/ml in the noninfected control calves (group 4, calf Nos. 1012). In group 4, the percentage of macrophage in the right and left lobes was 9093% and that of neutrophil was 23%. The total cell number from the right caudal lobe had increased 25 times (in comparison with control levels) in group 1 and group 2 infected calves (calf Nos. 16) and 39 times in group 3 infected calves (calf Nos. 79). The ratio of neutrophils from the right caudal lobe had increased greatly in groups 13, giving levels of 1128%, 1030%, and 1532%, respectively. The ratio of desquamated cells from the right caudal lobe was 1316% in group 1, 1012% in group 2, and 1136% in group 3. The total number of cells from the left caudal lobe in groups 13 ranged from 0.3 x 105.0 to 0.7 x 105.0 and did not increase the number of neutrophils.
Cytology
Eosinophilic and basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies from the right caudal lobe were found in the desquamated epithelial cells of two calves from group 1 (calf Nos. 1 and 2) and of all three calves from group 3 (calf Nos. 79) but were not found in cells of any calf from group 2 or from the three noninfected controls (Fig. 1). No inclusion bodies were observed in the left caudal lobe of any of the infected calves. Immunohistochemical examination revealed a high number of BAV-3 antigens in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the desquamated epithelial cells, a finding that corresponds well to the detection of intranuclear inclusion bodies. No such inclusion bodies were detected in the left caudal lobes of any of the infected or control calves.
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Pathology
Gross lesions were confined to the lungs of the virus-inoculated side (Table 1). Dark red, depressed, irregular areas of consolidation, primarily located in the caudal area, were found in the right caudal lobe in all infected calves but not in the left caudal lobe (Fig. 2). By PID 7, the lesions in calf No. 6 were found to be smaller than those in other infected calves. The lungs of the noninfected calves were normal in appearance. The bronchiolar and mediastinal lymph nodes were slightly swollen and congested in all infected calves. Moreover, the three DM-treated infected calves (calf Nos. 79) and the single DM-treated noninfected control calf (calf No. 12) showed severe atrophy of the thymus.
In groups 1 and 3, the characteristic pneumonic lesions in experimentally infected calves appeared as an acute, necrotizing, exfoliative bronchiolitis and bronchitis with intranuclear inclusion bodies (see Table 2, Fig. 3). There was extensive necrosis and desquamation of the respiratory epithelium in affected airways, with scant lining epithelial cells remaining intact and viable. The lumina were frequently occluded by cellular and streaming nuclear debris, admixed with degenerative leukocytes and fibrin. The recognizable, sloughed epithelium consisted of deeply eosinophilic, basophilic, round to ovoid, intranuclear inclusion bodies with margination of nuclear chromatin. The surrounding parenchymal cells were markedly congested with a light, diffuse infiltration of alveolar interstitium by inflammatory cells, primarily lymphocytes with plasma cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. By PIDs 5 and 7, many intranuclear inclusion bodies were found in the alveolar pneumocytes in the parenchymal pneumonic lesions in DM-treated infected calves (calf Nos. 8 and 9).
In group 2, moderate proliferative bronchitis and bronchiolitis were found, accompanied by epithelial hyperplastic lesions and severe infiltration of leukocytes and lymphocytes with thickening of the alveolar wall. By PIDs 5 and 7, calf Nos. 5 and 6 (calf No. 4 had been killed on PID 3) exhibited varying degrees of peribronchial and perivascular cuffings (Fig. 4). However, no inclusion bodies were found in any of the infected group 2 calves (calf Nos. 46).
In addition to pneumonia, a slight suppurative lymphadenitis was observed in the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes of all infected calves. Severe atrophy of the thymus was observed in the four DM-treated calves (calf Nos. 79 and 12). Neither gross nor histopathologic changes was found in the intestinal mucous membrane or brain of any of the infected animals (calf Nos. 19). No significant pneumonic lesions were found in the three control calves (calf Nos. 1012).
Electron microscopic examination
BAV-3infected terminal bronchiolar epithelial cells showed many intranuclear inclusion bodies, revealing cellular degeneration, manifested by undulation of the nuclear membrane and margination of nuclear chromatin (Fig. 5). Neutrophils and macrophages were infiltrated in areas adjacent to cell degeneration. Virus particles, approximately 70 nm in diameter, were found in the surface and desquamated areas of bronchiolar epithelial cells and occasionally in membrane-bound vacuoles in the cytoplasm (Fig. 6).
Immunohistochemistry
The BAV-3 antigen in the infected calves of groups 1 and 3 (calf Nos. 13 and 79, respectively) was first detected in the epithelial cells in the bronchioles (see Table 2, Fig. 7). BAV-3 antigen was observed in calves killed after PID 5 in neighboring alveolar macrophages and alveoli. The positive number of BAV-3 antigens was decreased in calves examined at PID 7. No BAV-3 antigen was found in group 2 infected calves (calf Nos. 46) or in group 4 noninfected calves (calf Nos. 1012).
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| Discussion |
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Respiratory lesions induced by adenovirus infection in calves, lambs, dogs, and other small animals are characterized by focal necrosis of the epithelium in the lower respiratory tract associated with the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies.37,9,19,25 In the present study, pneumonic lesions were divided into two types. The first type was characteristic of severe necrotizing bronchiolitis with numerous intranuclear inclusion bodies and was found in nonDM-treated 7-day-old infected calves and in DM-treated 1.5-month-old infected calves. The presence of inclusion bodies correlated with that of BAV-3 antigen and viral particles. These results are similar to those found in the case of colostrum-deprived calves infected on the day of birth with BAV-3 and in EB-infected 7-day-old calves.57,19 The second type of pneumonic lesions were those associated with intrastitial pneumonia with severe cellular infiltration and were similar to those found in 3-month-old calves EB infected with BAV-3 or colostrum-deprived calves infected with trypsin-treated BAV-3, or both.5,9,11,19
In recent studies, examination of BAL fluid cells has been used as a technique for understanding the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases.1719 In the present study, the total cell count of BAL fluid cells from the right caudal lobe increased after BAV-3 infection, and the cells consisted of neutrophilic and desquamated epithelial cells containing intranuclear inclusion bodies. Detection of BAV-3 antigen was closely associated with the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies in the degenerated epithelial cells. Moreover, the presence of a positive number of inclusion bodies or BAV-3 antigen, or both, in the desquamated epithelial cells correlated well with the isolated level of BAV-3 in BAL fluid cells. Therefore, we conclude that examination of BAL fluid may be a valuable method of diagnosis for respiratory viral diseases.1719
It is well known that immunosuppression with corticosteroids influences the immune system and enhances susceptibility to viral infection.14,20 Distribution of the cells containing heavy and light polypeptide chains of immunoglobulin also has been described in lung tissues from domestic animals.1,15 CD8+ T lymphocytes have been shown to be important for adenovirus type 7 clearance from respiratory tissues in children and BAV-3 in calves.12,19,22 In the present study, the 1.5-month-old calves infected with BAV-3 had the highest number of immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM, and IgA)-containing cells and CD8+ T lymphocytes in their pneumonic lesions, but their lungs neither contained detectable BAV-3 antigen nor any intranuclear inclusion bodies. A low number of immunoglobulin-containing B lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes was found in the nonDM-treated 7-day-old infected calves, in the DM-treated 1.5-month-old infected calves, nor in either of the noninfected controls. These results are similar to those found in 3-month-old calves infected with BAV-3 and in cyclophosphamide-treated chickens infected with the avian nephritis virus.16,19 These results strongly suggest that DM treatment might influence immunologic function in 1.5-month-old calves with BAV-3 infection. The reduction in lymphocyte numbers after infection may be due to decreased infiltration of lymphocytes in pneumonic lesion. Thus, depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes in calves might influence the clearance of BAV-3 infection from respiratory tissues, as well as bovine respiratory syncytial virus.23
| Acknowledgments |
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| References |
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