IgG subclass responses in brain and serum in Semliki Forest virus demyelinating encephalitis

The response of IgG subclasses within the central nervous system (CNS) of the mouse to Semliki Forest virus (SFV), an alphavirus associated with meningoencephalitis and primary immune mediated demyelination, has been measured using immunocytochemistry. The subclass response in serum has been assessed using virus specific enzyme linked immunosorbant assays. In the CNS IgGl was poorly represented throughout the sampling period of 28 days with a maximum of 3% of the total number of positive cells on day 21 after infection. Of the few IgG positive cells present on day 6, 2a and 3 positive cells were dominant. From day 9 onwards the numbers of 2b positive cells rose and by day 28 IgG2a, 2b and 3 subclasses showed roughly equal percentages of total cells counted. By contrast, in serum, anti-SFV IgG 2a and 2b were the first to appear and were dominant on day 12 and 21. Levels of anti-SFV IgGl did not rise until after day 12 but rose steeply thereafter. IgG3 was weakly positive at days 9 and 12, rising slightly on day 21, Clearly there are differences in the patterns of subclass response between the CNS and the periphery. This may be important in the context of neurotropic viral infection.