Replication of the A7(74) strain of Semliki Forest virus is restricted in neurons.

In neonatal mice the A7(74) and L10 strains of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) are virulent. In 3- to 4-week-old mice the L10 strain is virulent, the A7(74) strain is avirulent. Following intraperitoneal inoculation of 3- to 4-week-old mice both strains produce a transient plasma viremia. This is cleared by IgM antibodies. IgG antibodies of all subclasses are produced. The distribution of viral RNA in the brain as determined by autoradiographic analysis of in situ hybridizations shows that in all cases virus is first apparent as small foci of infected cells around cerebral capillaries. In both neonatal and 3- to 4-week-old mice infected with L10 or neonatal mice infected with A7(74), infection spreads rapidly from the original foci to infect large areas throughout the brain. Both neurons and glial cells are infected resulting in pycnosis and death of the animals. In the brains of 3- to 4-week-old mice infected with A7(74) virus there is little spread from the original perivascular foci. Again neurons and oligodendrocytes are infected but cellular destruction is minimal. The same pattern of A7(74) infection is observed in 3- to 4-week-old athymic nu/nu mice and mice with severe combined immunodeficiency, indicating that failure to spread is not related to specific immune responses. Furthermore, in nu/nu and SCID mice the small restricted foci of A7(74) infection persist. Comparison of the replication of these two viruses by electronmicroscopy shows that although A7(74) virus replicates completely in the neurons of neonatal mice, the virus is unable to bud from the neurons of 3- to 4-week-old mice and aggregates of viral RNA and capsid accumulate. We conclude that there is an age-related restriction of A7(74) replication in mouse neurons and that this restriction is not associated with the maturity of virus-specific immune responses but probably reflects age-related changes in neurons.

Detection of Ockelbo virus RNA in skin biopsies by polymerase chain reaction.

A sensitive assay based on the polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Ockelbo virus RNA was developed. Two primer pairs from the gene coding for the E2 glycoprotein were chosen. By use of a nested strategy for the primers, as few as 1 to 10 PFU could be detected. The amplified products were visualized as bands of appropriate size on ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. The primer pairs allowed amplification of several Ockelbo and Sindbis virus isolates but discriminated between these and other alphaviruses. Ockelbo virus RNA was detected in 4 of 10 skin biopsy specimens collected during the acute stage of the disease. The identities of the amplified products were confirmed by restriction endonuclease cleavage. Acute- and convalescent-phase sera as well as lymphocytes collected during the convalescent phase were negative by the polymerase chain reaction. No infectious virus could be recovered from any of the specimens.

An uncommon presentation for a common problem.

One of the axioms of general practice is that 'common things present commonly', both in the community incidence of disease and in the symptoms with which illnesses usually present. This was somewhat enigmatically put by a renowned neurologist at the Mayo Clinic: "When you hear hoof-beats, why think of zebras?". A most difficult, yet important feat for the GP is to keep on the alert for the uncommon symptom of a common cause, and the common symptom with an uncommon cause.

Virulent and avirulent strains of Semliki Forest virus show similar cell tropism for the murine central nervous system but differ in the severity and rate of induction of cytolytic damage.

The pathogenicity of the avirulent, demyelinating A7 strain of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and the virulent SFV4 strain (derived from an infectious clone) for the central nervous system of adult BALB/c mice following intranasal infection was compared. The techniques used included immunocytochemistry using anti-SFV antibody and antibodies to cell markers, in situ hybridization (ISH) using a biotinylated cDNA probe specific for SFV, and immunocytochemistry/ISH double labelling. Whereas SFV4 was lethal at 4 days post-infection, A7-infected mice appeared normal at all times. Neuronal necrosis in the pyriform cortex was present in both infections, but developed sooner and was more severe following infection with SFV4 than with A7. Intact neurons and putative oligodendrocytes contained viral RNA and virus-specific antigen in SFV4 infected mice; viral RNA but not virus-specific antigen was detected in similar cells in A7-infected mice. These results confirm that SFV4 and A7 share similar cell tropisms for the murine central nervous system, but differ in the severity and rate of development of cytolytic damage. Intranasal infection is an efficient monitoring system for studies of the molecular basis of pathogenicity of SFV infection in mice.

Inefficient mechanical transmission of Langat (tick-borne encephalitis virus complex) virus by blood-feeding mites (Acari) to laboratory mice.

One day after feeding on a viremic mouse, tropical rat mites, Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst), transmitted Langat (tick-borne encephalitis virus complex) virus to a naive suckling mouse in one of four trials. However, no transmissions to naive mice by O. bacoti were recorded either immediately after the viremic blood meal (0/4 trials) or on days 4-18 (0/20 trials). After feeding on a viremic mouse, chicken mites, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer), failed to transmit Langat virus to naive suckling mice in any trials (0/24). Although virus failed to replicate in either species of mite, it was detectable in 20% (2/10) of O. bacoti individuals 1 d after a viremic blood meal, but only immediately after the viremic blood meal in 20% (2/10) of D. gallinae mites. Neither mite appears to be an efficient vector of Langat virus.

Experimental infection of young turkeys with eastern equine encephalitis virus and highlands J virus.

Depression, somnolence, and increased mortality were observed in 2-week-old turkeys inoculated intramuscularly with either eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus or Highlands J (HJ) virus. Mortality rates in EEE virus- and HJ virus-inoculated turkeys were 7/30 (23%) and 9/30 (27%), respectively; no sham-inoculated controls died. Both EEE virus- and HJ virus-inoculated turkeys developed viremia that lasted 2 days; peak mean titers were 5.5 and 3.2 log10 plaque-forming units per ml of blood, respectively. Pathologic changes in both EEE virus- and HJ virus-inoculated turkeys consisted primarily of multifocal necrosis in the heart, kidney, and pancreas, and lymphoid necrosis and depletion in the thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius. The findings indicate that EEE virus and HJ virus are pathogenic for young turkeys.

High mortality of domestic turkeys associated with Highlands J virus and eastern equine encephalitis virus infections.

High mortality occurred in two flocks of commercial turkey hens placed in southern North Carolina in fall 1991. Daily mortality peaked at 3.19% in Flock 1 and 3.79% in Flock 2. Clinical signs included restlessness, somnolence, vocalization, and acute death. Gross lesions included atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius, thymus, and spleen, and watery intestinal contents. Microscopic changes included moderate to marked lymphocyte necrosis and depletion in the bursa, thymus, and spleen, widely scattered necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells, and mild villous atrophy and fusion in the jejunum and ileum with cuboidal to low columnar epithelial cells covering the villous tips. In Flock 1, at 27 days of age, reovirus and picornavirus particles were detected in the feces. One week later, togavirus-like particles were observed in fecal contents, and two of seven serum samples showed seroconversion to Highlands J virus. Eleven days later, five of six serum samples were positive for antibodies against Highlands J virus, with a fourfold increase in the geometric mean titer. In Flock 2, seroconversion to eastern equine encephalitis virus was observed in four of 10 serum samples 11 days after the onset of clinical signs. Based on the above observations, it is suspected that these alphaviruses were the cause of the clinical syndrome.

Virological and immunological studies of Wesselsbron virus in experimentally infected red Sokoto (Maradi) goats.

Red Sokoto goats aged four to five months were experimentally infected with the Nigerian strain of Wesselsbron virus. Viraemia commenced 24-72 hours after infection and lasted for 3-4 days. A febrile reaction which was mostly biphasic coincided with viraemia. A 50% mortality rate was observed among infected animals. The virus was re-isolated in mice from almost every tissue (liver, spleen, lungs, brain, kidney, adrenal, lymph node and heart) obtained from dead goats. Complement fixing antigens were detected in the tissues of dead goats, the titre of which correlated positively with the infectivity titre. All infected animals developed complement-fixing and haemagglutination inhibiting antibodies to Wesselsbron virus. However, neutralizing antibody was detected only in goats that survived the infection.

Experimental infection of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) by the oral route with Sindbis virus.

The infectivity, dissemination, and transmissibility of wild-type Sindbis (SIN) virus were studied in Aedes aegypti (L). There was an initial decline in the viral titer of whole mosquitoes for 3 d after ingestion of virus, followed by a gradual increase to a maximal level by day 6. Immunoperoxidase staining of Ae. aegypti for viral antigen showed infection of midgut epithelial cells on day 1, of the fat body by day 3, and of the brain by day 4. By day 5, there was infection of the foregut, hindgut, Malpighian tubules, ovariole sheaths, Johnston's organ, thoracic ganglia, ventral nerve cord, and salivary glands. Viral antigen was not detected in the flight muscles and was found only in ovariole sheaths of the ovaries; germinal tissue was not infected. The transmission rate from SIN-infected Ae. aegypti to neonatal mice was 40%. A comparison of Ae. aegypti infected with SIN and with a neuroadapted strain of Sindbis virus (NSIN), which is more neurovirulent than SIN to mice after intracerebral inoculation, did not reveal significant differences in infectivity, dissemination, or transmissibility. The important differences between SIN and NSIN in a mouse model were not reflected in the infection of Ae. aegypti by the oral route.

Serological and antigenical findings indicating pestivirus in man.

An epidemiological survey for pestivirus was undertaken in Zambia and Europe, in view of the recent serological findings obtained by previous studies in Europe with humans. Collected sera were tested for anti-bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) specific antibodies by IIF and Western Blotting. Of those individuals tested (n = 1272), 15.3% showed a seropositive reaction to the BVDV. Anti-BVDV antibody prevalence in immuno-depressed patients (e.g. HIV positive) was investigated. A higher prevalence was revealed in HIV patients suffering from chronic diarrhoea and in those having developed AIDS Related Complex (ARC). Our of 212 persons tested for pestivirus isolation, a non cytopathic virus strain was detected in 2 buffy coat samples using IIF with a specific anti-BVDV serum. The isolation could be repeated three times during 31 days in one person. The virus was identified as a pestivirus with radioimmuno-precipitation assays and IIF-flow cytometry. A doublet of 120 kD was identified only in cell lysates, indicating a non-structural protein. In order to rule out cross reactivity 30 sera from Hepatitis C seropositive patients were tested against the isolate by IIF-flow cytometry. No antigen-specific binding could be observed. These findings indicated the occurrence of a pestivirus in man and might suggest a relationship with a pestivirus of animal origin.

[Asymptomatic carriage of Pestivirus in ruminants]. / Le portage asymptomatique des Pestivirus chez les ruminants.

Pestiviruses are enveloped single-chain ribonucleic acid viruses with a positive polarity. Pestiviruses include the viruses of classical swine fever (hog cholera), Border disease of sheep, mucosal disease of cattle, and isolates obtained from wild animals, such as red deer (Cervus elaphus). Among ruminants, pestiviruses have developed a remarkable strategy for assuring their persistence. Through epigenetic transmission, they lead to the birth of asymptomatic carrier animals harbouring non-cytopathic variants, which become immunotolerant to the strain of virus present. The presence of a small number of asymptomatic carriers enables the virus to circulate within a herd by horizontal transmission, leading to the birth of a new generation of asymptomatic carriers.

Characterisation of p20 gene sequences from a border disease-like pestivirus isolated from pigs.

A pestivirus, isolated from pigs with haemorrhagic lesions, was antigenically more similar to border disease (BD) virus than to either hog cholera (HC) or bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) viruses. After reverse transcription the genome at the 5' end, along with the same region from a BD isolate from sheep, was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and cloned. The region of the p20 gene was sequenced and compared with published data for BVD and HC viruses. A number of motifs were conserved in the amino acid sequences of all the viruses. The pig isolate had a greater degree of homology in this region with the BD isolate (87%) than with BVD (73%) or HC (74%) viruses. This further confirms the BD-like nature of the virus.

Persistence of viral RNA in mouse brains after recovery from acute alphavirus encephalitis.

Little is known about the relationship between recovery from acute viral encephalitis and the clearance of viral genetic material from the central nervous system. In a mouse model of Sindbis virus encephalitis, we have previously shown that clearance of infectious virus is mediated by antibody-induced restriction of viral gene expression rather than by cytotoxic destruction of virally infected cells. To explore whether Sindbis virus genomes persist in mouse brain after the clearance of infectious virus, we used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification methods to detect Sindbis virus RNA in brain samples from immunocompetent BALB/c and antibody-treated immunodeficient scid/CB17 mice. RNA sequences from both the nonstructural region (NSP1 gene) and structural regions (E2 gene) of Sindbis virus were detected in the brains of all BALB/c and antibody-treated scid mice examined at 1, 2, and 3 months after infection. Additional BALB/c mouse brains were also positive at 8, 12, and 17 months after infection. To determine whether persistent RNA was capable of resuming unrestricted replication in the absence of the continuous presence of antiviral antibodies, viral titers were measured in the brains of scid mice at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after antibody treatment. Viral reactivation was seen in scid mice treated with hyperimmune serum or a low dose of monoclonal antibody to the E2 envelope glycoprotein, but not in mice treated with a high dose of monoclonal antibody to E2. Replication of infectious virus isolated from scid mouse brain could be restricted by repeat treatment with immune serum, indicating that viral reactivation is not due to antibody-escape mutations. These results demonstrate that Sindbis virus can persist long term in a nonproductive form in mouse brain and suggest that the humoral immune response plays an important role in preventing viral reactivation.

Genomic variability among globally distributed isolates of equine arteritis virus.

Equine arteritis virus (EAV), a non-arthropod borne togavirus, has been shown to have a global distribution. To date, no major antigenic variation has been demonstrated between EAV isolates from different geographic origins. In this study, the genomic RNA of EAV isolates obtained from horses of different breeds in various countries around the world was oligonucleotide fingerprinted. Comparisons of these fingerprints were used to determine the extent of genomic variation among such isolates. Comparisons among isolates from North American horses revealed, for the most part, oligonucleotide homologies of less than 60%. Only 29 of the 98 comparisons revealed greater than 60% oligonucleotide homology. Nonetheless, several comparisons indicated a close epidemiologic relationship between isolates from horses of different breeds located in different states. Though all European isolates were of Standardbred origin and were from horses located in northern European countries, the majority had oligonucleotide homologies of less than 60%. Where oligonucleotide homology was apparent, it was, with one exception, greater than 70%. The two isolates from New Zealand had 93.2% oligonucleotide homology. This is indicative of an extremely close epidemiologic relationship. Comparisons between EAV isolates from around the world revealed oligonucleotide homologies between viruses from North America, Europe and New Zealand. In several instances, this homology was greater than 70% and in one case greater than 80%. No oligonucleotide homology was evident in comparisons involving the virus from South Africa. The high level of genomic conservation between certain EAV isolates of disparate geographic origins may reflect dissemination of the virus associated with the international movement of horses. The extent of genomic variation demonstrated between most of the EAV isolates used in this study confirms the need for further investigation of genomic heterogeneity among strains of this virus before techniques that rely upon nucleic acid hybridization can be effectively applied as diagnostic procedures.

Isolation of Kunjin virus from a patient with a naturally acquired infection.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the first isolation of Kunjin virus from a patient with a natural infection. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 48-year-old female egg collector presented with muscle weakness, fatigue and extreme lethargy three weeks after developing rigors, headache, photophobia and nausea. Kunjin virus was isolated from an acute phase serum sample. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient made a partial recovery after treatment for 10 days with Catovit (Boehringer Ingelheim), one tablet twice a day, and then declined further medical contact. CONCLUSION: The isolation of Kunjin virus from this patient confirms previous serological observations which suggested that this mosquito-borne virus caused febrile episodes in humans accompanied, on occasion, by polyarthralgia or mild central nervous system signs and symptoms.

[Transfusion-associated non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis caused by flaviviruses]. / A non-A, non-B, non-C flavivírus által okozott inokulációs hepatitis.

Hepatitis C virus was shown to be a member of the flavivirus family. Tick-borne encephalitis virus and West Nile virus, members of the same family occur in Hungary, too. Serum samples from patients suffering from transfusion associated hepatitis were tested with yellow fever virus antigens for specific IgG, and IgM using immunofluorescence test. Eight hundred serum samples were tested. Yellow fever virus related IgG antibodies were found in 232 sera. In the case of 72 patients specific IgM antibodies could also be detected. The majority of the IgM positive patients underwent surgical operation and/or blood transfusion 1 to 2 months before the onset of the disease. Fifty-four sera positive for yellow fever virus-related antibodies were tested with HCV reagents, but only 13 were found to be positive, or cross-reacting. The 20 patients with yellow fever related antibodies were controlled with tick-borne encephalitis antigens, too. Nevertheless, no measurable cross-reaction could be detected. No measurable cross-reaction could be detected with the West Nile virus. The hepatitis B markers also were tested in 44 sera positive for yellow fever antibodies. There was only one, which contained HBsAg, and 10 of them proved to be positive for anti-HBcAg. The results indicate, that a non-A, non-B, non-C flavivirus is also present in the Hungarian population, which can be detected on the basis of the antigenic cross-reactivity with the attenuated yellow fever virus. This virus seems to be responsible for every 11th transfusion associated hepatitis examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The immune response in viral encephalitis.

The central nervous system (CNS) offers a unique organ system in which to study viral immunopathogenesis. The presence of the blood-brain barrier that restricts entry of cells and protein, the restricted expression of MHC antigens and the nonrenewable nature of the neuronal cell population offer challenges to the immune system for viral clearance and increase the chances for viral persistence. We have used Sindbis virus encephalitis in mice as a model system for the study of the development of immune reactions in the CNS and clearance of virus from neurons. The immune response to this and other viral infections of the CNS probably are initiated in peripheral lymphoid tissue followed by entry of activated T cells into the cerebrospinal fluid, meninges, and brain parenchyma. During Sindbis virus infection class I and II MHC antigens are expressed extensively on microglia which may present viral antigen produced by the infected neurons. Full development of the inflammatory response requires virus-specific T cells, but participating cells include NK cells, gamma delta T cells, monocytes and B cells. The entry of Ig-secreting B cells corresponds with the appearance of increased amounts of IgG and IgA in the cerebrospinal fluid. Clearance of Sindbis virus from the brain was studied using persistently infected severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice. Passive transfer of immune serum or immune T cells to these infected mice demonstrated that antibody to a surface glycoprotein of the virus eliminated virus by a noncomplemented-mediated, noncytolytic mechanism. Immune T cells had no effect on virus replication.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)