Experimental vaccinia virus meningoencephalitis in adult albino mice: Virological,light microscopic and ultrastructural studies

Summary Adult NMRI mice were inoculated intracerebrally with 1.5–5×10² pfu of the neurovirulent strain Ma1 of vaccinia virus. The animals usually became diseased on day 3 and died on day 5 or 6 p.i. Infectivity assay studies on the mouse brains yielded a steeply rising viral titer comparable with that exhibited by several other so-called neurovaccinia strains after intracerebral inoculation. Histological studies revealed a patchy leptomeningitis most apparent over the basal brain surface. Mononuclear elements of varied size were the most common infiltrate cells in the meningitic lesions. These often showed a pronounced hemorrhagic and necrotizing character. In some places, the cellular infiltrates within the subarachnoid space extended along the perforating vessels into the superficial cerebral cortex. By electron microscopy, all essential stages of virus morphogenesis including the discharge of mature virions could be seen in numerous mononuclear phagocytes and adventitial cells. In contrast to this, no unequivocal neuroectodermal cell showed morphologic evidence of productive viral infection. Likewise, no endothelia or vascular myocytes were encountered which contained newly formed virus particles. However, alterations of the walls of blood vessels and signs of disturbed vascular permeability were a frequent finding in the meningeal foci of inflammation as well as in and around the track left by the inoculating needle. Another ultrastructural feature of the meningitic lesions was the widespread occurrence of degenerating or disintegrating infiltrate cells both infected and uninfected ones.The virologic and morphologic findings observed in this model of experimental vaccinia virus meningo-encephalitis are discussed with regard to data previously published by other authors. The propensity of strain Ma1 of vaccinia virus (and most probably of other so-called neurovaccinia strains) for replication in mesenchymal cells in particularly emphasized.