The Presence of Alpha Interferon at the Time of Infection Alters the Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most devastating and costly diseases to the swine industry worldwide. Overall, the adaptive immune response to PRRS virus (PRRSV) is weak, which results in delayed elimination of virus from the host and inferior vaccine protection. PRRSV has been shown to induce a meager alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) response, and we hypothesized that elevated IFN-alpha levels early in infection would shorten the induction time and increase elements of the adaptive immune response. To test this, we measured both antibody and cell-mediated immunity in pigs after the administration of a nonreplicating human adenovirus type 5 vector expressing porcine IFN-alpha (Ad5-pIFN-alpha) at the time of PRRSV infection and compared the results to those for pigs infected with PRRSV alone. Viremia was delayed, and there was a decrease in viral load in the sera of pigs administered the Ad5-pIFN-alpha. Although seroconversion was slightly delayed in pigs receiving Ad5-pIFN-alpha, probably due to the early reduction in viral replication, little difference in the overall or neutralizing antibody response was seen. However, there was an increase in the number of virus-specific IFN-gamma-secreting cells detected in the pigs receiving Ad5-pIFN-alpha, as well as an altered cytokine profile in the lung at 14 days postinfection, indicating that the presence of IFN-alpha at the time of infection can alter innate and adaptive immune responses to PRRSV.