role of host immunocompetence in neuroinvasion of Sindbis virus

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 144; no. 6; pp. 1159 - 1171
• Main Authors: Lustig, S, Halevy, M, Ben-Nathan, D, Rice, C.M, Kobiler, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wien Springer 01-01-1999; New York, NY Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alphavirus Infections - immunology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Central Nervous System Infections - immunology; Central Nervous System Infections - virology; Experimental viral diseases and models; Immunity, Innate; immunocompetence; infection; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Mice, SCID; Sindbis Virus; Species Specificity; strain differences; Viral diseases; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Togaviridae; Host virus relation; Invasion; Sindbis virus; Infection; Virus; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Mouse; Infectivity; Viral disease; Alphavirus; Immunocompetence
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s007050050576

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) following peripheral inoculation of Sindbis viruses were studied. The use of viral strains, which vary in their neuroinvasive and neurovirulent properties, and various strains of mice, which differ in immunocompetence, revealed several pathways of viral neuroinvasion in adult mice. A genetic-trait dependent mechanism was exhibited by the neuroinvasive viruses, showing a similar pattern in all mice strains tested. A second mechanism, dependent on a prolonged high viral load, was exhibited by a noninvasive variant in Severe Combined ImmunoDeficient (SCID) mice. The absence of antiviral antibodies in SCID mice allowed the maintenance of a long-term high viremia, leading to a random entry to the CNS and proliferation in brain tissue. An additional pathway for neuroinvasion was induced upon disruption of the blood-brain barrier activity by exogenous reagents and was demonstrated in cases of short lived high viremia of noninvasive viruses.