Exacerbation of Soft Tissue Lesions in Lead Exposed Virus Infected Mice
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Key words:
- Lead acetate /
- Exposure /
- Sub-acute /
- Sub-chronic /
- SFV /
- Pathogenicity
Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Lead (Pb) acetate exposure on Semliki forest virus (SFV)pathogenesis in mice. Methods Different doses (62.5, 125, 250 and 500 mg/Kg body weight) of Pb dissolved in normal saline were given to mice by oral intubation in a sub-acute (28 days) and sub-chronic (90 days) regimen followed by SFV infection. Morbidity, mortality, clinical symptoms,mean survival time (MST), changes in body and organ weight, accumulation of lead in soft tissues,virus titre in brain and histopathological alterations were compared between lead exposed and infected groups. Results Early appearance of virus symptoms, increased mortality, decreased MST, enhanced SFV titre and greater tissue damage were observed in lead exposed-SFV-infected mice. Conclusion Pre-exposure to lead increases the susceptibility of mice towards SFV infection. Further studies are suggested in view of the persistence of lead in the environment and the possibility of infection bymicrobial pathogens.
Citation: | PRATIBHA GUPTA, M.M.HUSAIN, RAVI SHANKER, R.K.S.DOGRA, P.K.SETH, R.K.MAHESHWARI. Exacerbation of Soft Tissue Lesions in Lead Exposed Virus Infected Mice[J]. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, 2003, 16(4): 369-378. |