Viral infections: beneficial against certain inflammatory diseases?
Exposure to infectious agents can affect our immune functions. In some cases, even asymptomatic infections can improve the course of concomitant inflammatory diseases.
In collaboration with A. Saoudi’s team, the team of N. Blanchard analyzed in a mouse model the mechanisms by which infection with an enveloped ssRNA virus protects against the development of two inflammatory diseases, namely experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (a model for multiple sclerosis) and cerebral malaria. We have shown that the initial immune response of mice against the virus “neutralizes” the function of dendritic cells, which prevents the pathogenic programming of CD4 T lymphocytes that usually at the origin of these pathologies.
Hassan A, Wlodarczyk MF, Benamar M, Bassot E, Salvioni A, Kassem S, Berry A, Saoudi A, Blanchard N.
mBio. 2020 Apr 7;11(2). pii: e03394-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.03394-19
Correspondant : nicolas.blanchard@inserm.fr
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32265335