ABSTRACT Objective This study verified the replication
efficiency of the Rocio
virus in a primary
culture of
mouse neural
cells.
Methods Mixed primary
cultures (
neurons/
glia) obtained from the brains of
newborn isogenic BALB/c
mice were inoculated with Rocio
virus on the 7 th day of
culture, and the development of cytopathogenic effects was monitored. The
infection was confirmed via
immunocytochemistry (anti-ROCV), while
viral replication was quantified in infected primary
cultures. The titration
method used depended on the
infection period. Results Rocio
virus efficiently infected primary cultured neural
cells, with the highest viral titer causing cytopathic changes was observed at 2 days post
infection. The
virus-infected primary
culture survived for up to 7 days post
infection, and
viral load quantitation showed
viral replication kinetics compatible with the
cell death kinetics of
cultures. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that
mouse neural
cell primary
cultures support Rocio
virus replication and could be used as an alternative system for studying
Flavivirus infection in the
central nervous system.