Simultaneous infection with gammaherpes and influenza viruses enhances the host immune defense.

We have studied the impact of simultaneous infection of mice with murine gammaherpesvirus (MHV) and influenza A virus (IAV) on the immune response and pathogenesis of both infections. After a persistent MHV-68 herpesviral infection had been established, the same mice were super-infected with IAV. Individual parameters of MHV infection (viral DNA detection in organs and blood) and numbers of leukocytes in lungs and spleens were determined.

Copper(II) complexes with new fluoroquinolones: Synthesis, structure, spectroscopic and theoretical study, DNA damage, cytotoxicity and antiviral activity.

Copper(II) complexes with fluoroquinolones in the presence of the nitrogen donor heterocyclic ligands 1,10-phenanthroline have been considered in detail. The phenanthroline moiety was introduced into the ligand environment with the aim to determine whether the nuclease activity is feasible. All suitable X-ray structures of the complexes under study reveal a distorted square pyramidal coordination geometry for Cu(II) atom.

Possible role of different animal species in maintenance and spread of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 in the nature.

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68), isolated from a bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Slovakia in 1976 is a natural pathogen of wild murid rodents. This review is focused to biological properties of this pathogen, the mode of its maintenance in murid rodents as reservoir animals, mechanisms of its spread to other animals in the same biotope as well as to livestock and household animals. Potential role of ticks as vectors and the possibility of infection of humans with this virus are considered as well.

Biological and pathogenetic characterization of different isolates of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) in the context of study of human oncogenic gammaherpesviruses.

Study of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68), which was discovered in 1980 in Slovakia, has led to many important findings regarding gammaherpesviral properties in general. Nowadays, it is considered to be a universal model used for detailed studies to determine pathogenetic, immunological and molecular aspects of oncogenesis in analogy to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi΄s sarcoma-associated virus (KSHV). The objective of this work is to characterize biological and pathogenetic properties of the virus with an emphasis on our prior results concerning ecology, epidemiology, viral persistence in peritoneal macrophages, detection of malign and benign lymphoproliferations accompanied by the presence of atypical lymphocytes in blood during IM-like and leukemia-like syndromes.

Vertical transmission of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 in mice.

The mouse infected with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is accepted animal model for investigation of pathogenesis, oncogenesis, immunology and molecular biology of gammaherpesviruses in their natural host. However, little is known about the host range, epidemiology and pathogenesis of this natural pathogen of free-living murid rodents. Therefore we addressed the question of transplacental transmission of MHV-68 from pregnant Balb/c mice chronically infected with the virus to their fetuses and shedding of the virus by breast milk from chronically infected mothers to their offspring.

Establishment of cell lines latently infected with non-oncogenic murine gammaherpesvirus 76.

Murine gammaherpesviruses 68 (MHV-68) and 78 (MHV-78), both inducing tumors in mice and a latent infection in cells in vitro, serve as models for study of human oncogenic gammaherpesviruses, namely Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). In this work, we succeeded in establishing a latent infection of HeLa and CGL1 cell lines with non-oncogenic murine gammaherpesvirus 76 (MHV-76), which differs from MHV-68 and MHV-78 besides by oncogenicity also by deletion of M1-M4 genes and eight tRNA-like sequences. Viral latency in these cell lines, λHeLa and λCGL1, was demonstrated by the presence of viral DNA, suppression of viral latency-associated ORF73 gene and appearance of low amounts of infectious virus following treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA).

Tumors induced by Murine herpesvirus 60 or by cell line NB-78 derived from a tumor induced by Murine herpesvirus 78 show presence of the inducing viruses.

Murine herpesviruses 60 and 78 (MHV-60, MHV-78), closely related to Mouse herpesvirus strain 68 (MHV-68), are oncogenic lymphotropic gammaherpesviruses, which may serve as models for study of human oncogenic gammaherpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). In this work, we attempted to detect an analog of the MHV-68 ORF73 gene in tumors induced in mice either directly by MHV-60 or indirectly by MHV-78 via inoculation of NB-78 cells derived from a tumor induced by MHV-78. Besides the ORF73 gene, viral antigen and infectious virus were searched for.