| Abstract: | Although the cause of Bell's palsy is in most cases unknown, a number of viral infections have been associated with the disease. To determine if human viruses could experimentally infect the facial nerve or ganglion, six different viruses were inoculated into newborn hamsters by intracerebral, intralabyrinthine, or intraperitoneal routes. The facial nerve within the temporal bone and the geniculate ganglion were studied by light and immunofluorescent microscopy for the presence of viral infection. Herpes simplex, rubeola, mumps, and reovirus infected the neurons in the geniculate ganglia, while vaccinia virus infected the stroma cells of the facial nerve and ganglia. Influenza virus did not infect either the nerve or ganglia. These studies indicate that several human viruses can experimentally infect the facial nerve and geniculate ganglia, lending support to the hypothesis that Bell's palsy is caused by a virus. |
