FIG. 6.
Individual representation of IFN-α levels in cultures of PBMC obtained from healthy subjects and IDDM patients selected according to the detection of anti-VP4 antibodies. The patients were further segregated according to the titers of neutralizing antibodies (e and f). PBMC were infected with CVB3 (a, b, and c) or CVB4 (CVB4E2) (d, e, and f) preincubated for 1 h at 37°C with plasma obtained from healthy subjects and IDDM patients. The detection of anti-VP4 antibodies was performed by ELISA on plates coated with VP4 dissociated from CVB3 or CVB4 (CVB4E2). Plasma specimens with an index value of anti-VP4 antibodies higher than 1.0 were deemed positive for anti-VP4 antibodies. The horizontal bars represent the means. For anti-VP4CVB3 Ab-positive groups versus anti-VP4CVB3 Ab-negative groups, the results for healthy subjects were 353 ± 87 IU/ml versus 127 ± 42 IU/ml (P < 0.001) and those for IDDM patients were 464 ± 161 IU/ml versus 187 ± 57 IU/ml (P < 0.001) (a and b). For anti-VP4CVB4 Ab-positive groups versus anti-VP4CVB4 Ab-negative groups, the results for healthy subjects were 171 ± 30 IU/ml versus 83 ± 28 IU/ml (P = 0.001) and those for IDDM patients were 305 ± 159 IU/ml versus 104 ± 31 IU/ml (P < 0.001) (d and e). For IDDM patients with low anti-CVB3 NA titers, the results for anti-VP4CVB3-positive antibodies versus anti-VP4CVB3-negative antibodies were 459 ± 154 IU/ml versus 183 ± 55 IU/ml (P < 0.001) (c). For IDDM patients with low anti-CVB4 NA titers, the results for anti-VP4CVB4-positive antibodies versus anti-VP4CVB4-negative antibodies were 388 ± 192 IU/ml versus 104 ± 31 IU/ml (P < 0.001) (f). For IDDM patients with high anti-CVB3 NA titers, the results for anti-VP4CVB3-positive antibodies versus anti-VP4CVB3-negative antibodies were 469 ± 173 IU/ml versus 193 ± 66 IU/ml (P < 0.001) (c). For IDDM patients with anti-VP4CVB4-positive antibodies and low anti-CVB4 NA titers versus high anti-CVB4 NA titers, the results were 388 ± 192 IU/ml versus 241 ± 92 IU/ml (P = 0.01) (f).