INFLAMMATION IN VIRUS-INFECTIONS

This review addresses general aspects of the nature of the cellular response in sites of viral pathology. The virus-induced inflammatory process reflects the operation of a broad spectrum of host defence mechanisms ranging, in the phylogenetic sense, from the most primitive (e.g. simple phagocytosis) to the specific immunity characteristic of the higher vertebrates. The pattern of cellular extravasation is also determined by the nature of the particular pathogen, being influenced by such factors as the extent of viral cytopathology and the spectrum of cytokine production. The presence of substantial numbers of activated T cells and macrophages in a particular tissue may have both beneficial and deleterious consequences. We now have a relatively clear concept of the factors governing the specificity of the CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes that are a central component of the cellular immune response to viruses. Much remains to be learned about the biological events that influence and characterize the effector phase of these T cells in the in vivo situation, and the interactions between various host cell populations in the target organ. © 1993 Academic Press. All rights reserved.