Ultrastructural Aspects of the Liver in the Viral Hepatitis

Abstract

The ultrastructure of the liver cells during viral hepatitis is presented. The character of the noticed disturbances is variable with a rather patchy distribution, without any specificity of this disease. On the contrary remarkable and original patterns were observed at the level of the intercellular spaces; an important process of winding; presence of electronopaque grains (probably formed of biliary pigments), dilatation of the intercellular spaces between junctional complexes; joining of the cellular membranes with complete disappearance of intercellular spaces. All the disturbances in the ultrastructure of the intercellular spaces seem to help to clarify the understanding of the pathogenesis of jaundice in many cases of viral hepatitis. It may result from a sort of functional blocking of the “tight junctions” which, in its turn, may precede or be the consequence of some functional [8] perturbations, present all along the length of the intercellular spaces situated between Disse’s space and the biliary canaliculi.

Viral Hepatitis in Encephalomyocarditis Virus-Infected Mice

“…13, 22J, of tissues infected with Coxsackie virus B, (12), and of L cells infected with Mengovirus (1,2). Similar changes also have been described in human viral hepatitis [33], Some of the vesicles which contain condensed cytoplasm appear to re present cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum. From this and previous studies it seems that vésiculation and vacuolization are consequences of mem brane proliferation and that this phenomenon is a host cell-virus inter action common to many viral infections, but specifically related to in fections with the picornaviruses [22], Furthermore, it is suggested that this phenomenon is an early cellular response that may precede more pro nounced degenerative changes which may be detected by light microscopy.…”