Interleukin-10 expression during the acute phase is a putative prerequisite for delayed viral elimination in a murine model for multiple sclerosis

Reduced protective immunity leads to viral persistence and demyelination in Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis. The aim of the present study was to compare the phenotype of brain-infiltrating leukocytes and cytokine expression in susceptible SJL and resistant C57BL/6 mice during Theilervirus-induced acute polioencephalitis. In contrast to C57/BL6 mice, SJL mice show an increased number of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and CD45R+ B cells associated with delayed viral elimination and elevated IL-10 mRNA transcripts in the brain. Results substantiate the hypothesis that an imbalanced cytokine milieu during the early infection phase contributes to ineffective antiviral immunity in animals with a susceptible genetic background.