Our recently published research on the characterization of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pathogenesis in swine, identified a systemic upregulation of interleukin 6 (IL-6) during the acute phase of infection (Velazquez-Salinas et al., 2018). This upregulation was observed during infection with a highly virulent VSV strain, suggesting a potential association between IL-6 levels and virus virulence in pigs. In this opinion note we would like to explore in more detail the biological functions of IL-6 in different virus models, and present our perspective regarding the debatable role of IL-6 during viral infections. While several studies show the essential role of IL-6 to mount a proper immune response during some viral infections, others link this cytokine with exacerbation of viral disease. These latter findings lend support to the hypothesis that upregulation of IL-6 during certain viral infections may promote virus survival and/or exacerbation of clinical disease.
CITATION STYLE
Velazquez-Salinas, L., Verdugo-Rodriguez, A., Rodriguez, L. L., & Borca, M. V. (2019). The role of interleukin 6 during viral infections. Frontiers in Microbiology. Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01057
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