Poster Presentation 8th Australasian Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Development Meeting 2020

Plasmodium-induced interferon-γ restricts O’nyong-nyong virus replication and dissemination in mouse tissues (#316)

Anthony Torres-Ruesta 1 , Teck-Hui Teo 1 2 , Yi-Hao Chan 1 , Cheryl Lee 1 , Laurent Renia 1 , Lisa Ng 1
  1. Infectious Diseases Horizontal Technology Centre (ID HTC) & Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Singapore, SINGAPORE
  2. Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France

O’nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) is an alphavirus transmitted by main malaria vectors (Anopheles spp.) suggesting the possibility of co-infections in endemic areas. However, the potential pathological outcomes of such interactions in humans remain unknown. Using murine malaria models, we investigated the effects of pre-existing Plasmodium infections in the development of ONNV-associated pathologies. We report that Plasmodium infections suppressed hallmark ONNV-induced footpad swelling and viremia. In-vivo monitoring of ONNV replication kinetics in infected footpads revealed reduced viral load during the first 24 hours post-virus infection. Flow cytometry analysis showed that pre-existing Plasmodium infections rendered footpad CD45+ cells (monocytes/macrophages) and CD45- cells (fibroblasts, myoblasts and endothelial cells) less susceptible to ONNV. Quantification of immune soluble factors in serum and footpad tissue lysates of Plasmodium-infected mice yielded increased levels of antiviral interferon gamma (IFNγ) which prompted further assessment of its role in the suppression of ONNV replication. Antibody blockade of Plasmodium-induced interferon-γ or co-infection in IFNγ-deficient animals restored ONNV replication to similar levels than animals singly-infected by ONNV. These results suggest that Plasmodium-induced interferon-γ restricts ONNV replication in mice.