Neural Mechanisms in Poliomyelitis

In previously reported studies (1-3) it was found that in young mice the intranasal instillation of herpes virus (HF strain) was followed by the prompt invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) by way of all available neural routes. Death resulted regularly on the 4th or 5th day after inoculation, Specific antibodies, acquired as the result of an intraperitoneal injection of immune rabbit serum or by suckling an immune mother, protected young mice from herpetic infection of this sort. In these experiments the antibodies were present in the mice at the time the virus was administered. They presumably protected the mice by preventing the formation of peripheral foci of infection from which invasion of the CNS could occu~In order to determine whether passively acquired antibodies can significantly influence the course of herpetic infection within the CNS of mice, further investigations have been carried out. Disturbance of the "blood-brain barrier," which might affect the penetration of antibodies into the CNS, was avoided by the use of a peripheral site of inoculation. Specific antiserum was injected at various intervals after introduction of the virus, before involvement of the nervous system became apparent. When experimental herpetic infections induced in this manner are treated by administering specific antiserum prior to the appearance of obvious signs of involvement of the nervous system, it is virtually impossible to be certain whether an efficacious result is due to the effect of antibodies at the peripheral focus or within the nervous system. In experiments included in the present report, this difficulty has been circumvented by eliminating, by amputation, the peripheral focus as a complicating factor. It was found that hyperimmune rabbit serum,'injected intraperitoneally, can retard, and in some cases can completely arrest, the progress of an established herpetic infection within the nervous system of mice.

Section: (From the Departments Of Bacteriology And Medicine The Univmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies on Herpetic Infection in Mice

Evans

Slavin

Berry

1946

“…Furthermore, although peripheral nerve avulsion generally leads to chromatolysis followed by rapid dissolution of the neuron, in some species such as the cat (10) recovery and axon regeneration can occur even with such severe treatment. Finally, although chromatolysis of nerve cells with axons in peripheral nerves is usually followed by recovery, in nerve cells with axons in the central nervous system it is either followed bydissolution of the cell (11)(12)(13)(14), and many others), or in some cases by atrophy of the cell body which persists in a shrunken state with decreased basophilic material (3,(14)(15)(16). The per-* Aided by a grant from The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Inc. 1ByD.…”

Section: Ttt~ Regenerative Cycle Of Moton~iyrons Imentioning

confidence: 99%

The Regenerative Cycle of Motoneurons, With Special Reference to Phosphatase Activity

Bodian

Mellors

1945

182

1. The regenerative cycle of motoneurons after axon amputation is described, and an attempt made to correlate morphological and chemical events in cell bodies with the growth requirements of regenerating axons. 2. The "normal" pattern of Nissl material in the cell is considered to be the resultant of a steady state in cytoplasmic nucleoprotein. Chromatol is then interpreted as a shift of the balance of nucleoprotein turnover in fa of degradation. The rapid early depletion of Nissl substance in chromatolysis is ascribed to the increased growth requirements created by the active early sprouting of the regenerating axon. Acid phosphatase activity begins to increase above normal levels during this period in the region of nucleopro degradation. 3. The recovery period of chromatolysis due to axon section coincide in time with the phase of gradual lengthening of the regenerating axon, and is thought to represent a gradual restoration of the balance of nucleoprotein degradation and synthesis. During this period acid phosphatase activity is at its height in the region of transformation of Nissl substance, later declines to normal levels when the original pattern of Nissl bodie is restored. 4. The transformation of cytoplasmic nucleoprotein which occurs in chromatolysis after axon section, with the probable liberation (46), and depletion (44), of nucleotides, associated with acid phosphatase activity, suggests the hypothesis that liberated nucleotides or nucleotide compounds may pass down the axon in which they take part in enzymatic activity associated with growth and organization of the newly formed axon. This type of activity would not be incompatible with the ideas previously expressed (30, 81) of a continual function of Nissl substance in maintaining the integrity of the large volume of cytoplasm represented by the axon, as well perhaps as the associated myelin sheath.

“…Immersion of the cut end of the tibial or sciatic nerve of an adult mouse in a concentrated suspension of herpes virus usually failed to induce infection. Howe and Bodian (13) found in their work with poliomyelitis in monkeys that the cut end of a large nerve was in general more readily infected than that of a small nerve. The sciatic nerve of a mouse is smaller than the nerves they were successful in infecting by this method.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In his studies on the pathology of poliomyelitis, Hurst (12) found in one instance that the virus went rapidly from a focus in the lower spinal cord to the brain without involving the cervical cord. On the other hand, Howe and Bodian (13) have recorded different observations, which indicate that poliomyelitis virus may ascend the spinal cord and involve the cervical levels before it reaches the brain.…”

Section: The Correlation Of Neurological Disturbances With Routes Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies on Herpetic Infection in Mice

Evans

Slavin

Berry

1950

In the preceding papers of this series (1-4) studies on passive immunization of mice against herpes virus inoculated intranasally or into the foot pad were reported. It was shown that antibodies acquired naturally by young mice suckled by immune mothers, or artificially by mice injected with specific antiserum from an heterologous species are effective in protecting against the virus subsequently inoculated by the nasal route. When the virus was inoculated into the foot pad, allowed to multiply locally, and enter the local nerves before antiserum was administered, a definite although incomplete protection was demonstinted. The present paper is concerned principally with the influence of the site of cutaneous inoculation of the virus on the development of herpetic infections of the nervous system of mice.A number of investigators have reported studies in which mice were inoculated with herpes virus by one route or by several routes (5-8) but no one has previously carried out a systematic study of the influence of the site of cutaneous inoculation on the susceptibility of mice to herpes virus.Virus was inoculated into the skin in various areas of the bodies of adult and young mice. Great differences in susceptibility have been found depending upon (1) the age of the mice, and (2) the site of the inoculation. Treatment of the skin with methylcholanthrene before inoculation of virus increased the susceptibility to herpetic infections to a limited extent. Materials and MethodsThe animals used in the present study were all Swiss mice from the stock described earlier (1).Two strains of herpes simplex virus were used.