Pathogenesis of rabies in immunodeficient mice

The HEP and ts2 strains of rabies virus inoculated intracerebrally into adult mice normally cause clinically inapparent infection. In the experiments described, this is converted into a lethal infection by immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide, which also prevented induction of immunity with vaccine. Lethal infection of HEP-inoculated mice was also observed in mice treated with antihymocytic serum, and in athymic (BALB/c-nu) nude mice.