Activation of natural killer cells in newborn piglets by interferon induction

Natural killer (NK) cell activity in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of newborn piglets, normally negligible, was stimulated by in vitro treatment with porcine type I interferon (IFN), and the NK activity of PBL from weaned piglets was augmented by the same treatment. Binding of the PBL to the PK-15 targets used in the single cell cytotoxicity assay for NK activity was not affected by age or by IFN treatment. When newborn piglets were treated with a single intravenous dose at 2 days of age of 0.5 mg/kg of polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid complexed with poly-L-lysine and carboxymethylcellulose (poly ICLC), a synthetic IFN inducer, their IFN levels peaked at 6 h post-induction, and NK activity in their PBL peaked at 24 h post-induction at the level normally found in weaned piglets. The NK activity then declined until 7 days post-induction, when it increased again in a similar manner to that in untreated control piglets. Target-binding of the PBL was not affected by poly ICLC treatment of the piglets. Newborn piglets treated with poly ICLC and subsequently exposed to infection with transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus showed a delay in onset of clinical signs of TGE compared with untreated control piglets. It was concluded that NK cells in newborn piglets can be activated by treatment of the piglets with poly ICLC, and that the presence of active NK cells is associated with some increase in resistance to challenge with TGE virus.