It’s all about location – Experimental infection with Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus

Introduction Intracerebral (i. c.) infection of susceptible mice with Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) serves as an animal model for multiple sclerosis. The aim of the study was to compare TMEV-induced lesions following i. c. and intraspinal (i. s.) infection.

Material and methods Groups of female SJL mice were (i. c. or i. s.) infected with TMEV. Necropsies were performed at 4, 7, 14, 28, 56, 98, 147, 196 days post i. c. infection and at 3, 7, 14, 28, 63 days post i. s. infection. Spinal cord segments and peripheral nerves were investigated using immunohistochemistry targeting CD3, CD45R, CD107b, myelin basic protein, periaxin, TdTomato, β-amyloid precursor protein and TMEV.

Results I. s. TMEV infection resulted in clinical signs approximately 12 weeks earlier compared to i. c. infection. Spinal cord lesions including inflammation, demyelination and axonal damage occurred approximately 6 weeks earlier than following i. c. infection. Significant PN lesions were restricted to i. s. infected mice.

Conclusions The i. s. infection model offers the advantage of a significantly earlier onset of clinical signs as well as inflammatory and demyelinating spinal cord lesions and enables the investigation of virus-mediated peripheral nerve lesions.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
08. Juli 2020