Effect of endotoxin preparations on the course of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in suckling mice.

Death occurred earlier and its rate was higher in suckling mice treated with parent or radio-detoxified endotoxin and subsequently inoculated intracerebrally with lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus than in their virus infected but untreated control littermates. Thus, in suckling mice both the parent and the radio-detoxified endotoxin pretreatment contributed to the outcome of LCM virus infection in the form of lethal meningitis indicating its increasing effect on the cellular immunological reaction to the virus infection.