Evidence for Defective Neutrophil Function in Lungs of Calves Exposed to Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus

Calves were exposed to an aerosol of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus followed five days later by an aerosol of Pasteurella haemolytica. The animals were subjected to bronchoalveolar lavage before IBR and four days after, and again at 0, 4, 24, and 48 hours following Pasteurella haemolytica challenge. The results of these experiments suggest that neutrophil infiltration into the lung, in response to the presence of the bacteria was delayed thereby allowing the bacteria to become established in the lung. Neutrophils in infected animals displayed little random migration in vitro and did not respond to a chemotactic stimulus. It was also found that alveolar macrophages from virus-infected animals were not able to produce neutrophil chemotactic factors. These data suggest that the decrease in neutrophil chemotaxis and the lack of chemotactic factor production by the alveolar macrophage following infection with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus may predispose infected cattle to a secondary bacterial infection.