Theiler??s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) can infect the central nervous
system (CNS) and cause neurological damage. The exact route by which TMEV enters
the CNS remains unknown. Two hypotheses suggest that TMEV enters the CNS either
by the neural and/or the hematogenous pathway. To explore these hypotheses, the
GDVII strain of Theiler??s virus was inoculated via different routes in susceptible mice.
The incidence of paralysis and/or encephalitis was evaluated. The forms of paralysis
displayed corresponded to the site of viral inoculation. Following intramuscular (i.m.),
intraperitoneal (i.p.), intravenous (i.v.) and footpad routes of injection, bilateral and or
contralateral paralyses were observed. In mice injected intratongue, tongue paralysis
was observed. Intracranial (i.c.) injections resulted in 100% mortality. A detailed time
course experiment was also completed which focused on the neural transport pathway
used by TMEV to invade the CNS. The GDVII strain of Theiler??s virus was injected
into the left gastrocnemius muscle and the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). The incidence
of paralysis and/or encephalitis was evaluated on the basis of clinical signs,
immunofluorescent analysis, and histopathology. Following the i.m., route of injection,
unilateral hind limb paralysis was observed in the injected limb and a weakening of the contralateral limb was also observed. In mice injected in the hypoglossal nerve, tongue
paralysis was observed. Also, the penis of most affected males was prolapsed. The
localization of viral antigen using fluorescent labeling correlated with the clinical signs
of paralysis for both injections. The studies reported here support the theory that GDVII
Theiler??s virus may gain access to the CNS through a neural transport pathway.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/2647 |
| Date | 01 November 2005 |
| Creators | Villarreal, Dorissa |
| Contributors | Welsh, Jane |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 2394131 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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