Interleukin 12 is a primary cytokine responding to influenza virus infection in the respiratory tract of mice

We have reported previously that an increase in interleukin 12 (IL-12) production in the lungs of mice infected with Influenza A virus or an intranasal (i.n.) administration of IL-12 to the infected mice alleviated pneumonia (Tsurita et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therapeut. 298, 362-368, 2001). In this study, we found that in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) obtained from mice infected i.n. with Influenza A virus IL-12 was elevated on day 1 post infection (p.i.) and was followed by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-18, and interferons alpha, beta, and gamma (IFN-alpha, -beta, and -gamma) on day 2 p.i. Histochemical analyses of the infected lungs on day 1 p.i. showed the presence of IL-12 and IL-12 mRNA in mononuclear and macrophage-like cells and co-localization of macrophages with viral antigen, while other cytokines were absent. Thus, IL-12 was produced by macrophages infiltrating the infected epithelium as the first response cytokine and its production at the site of infection may direct an early immune defense to alleviate the severity of infection.