The estrous cycle affects pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection of the CNS

Previous work had suggested that mucosal immunity may be affected by the stage of the estrous cycle. Here, susceptibility to a neurotropic virus infection at different stages of the estrous cycle was assessed in a rodent model after direct injection of the virus into visceral organs. In the first two experiments, female Sprague-Dawley rats were infected with pseudorabies virus (PRV, Bartha's K-strain) by injection into either the cervix or the kidney after monitoring their estrous cycle. After either 4- or 5-day survival period post-infection, the rats were euthanized by transcardially perfusion and peripheral and central nervous system tissues were removed for immunocytochemical staining. The number of infected neurons was counted in various regions. Statistical analysis revealed that: (1) the number of infected cells in the sympathetic or parasympathetic ganglion, or the dorsal root ganglia was not affected regardless of the stage of the estrous cycle after cervix injection with PRV; (2) in contrast, the number of infected neurons in the spinal cord was affected significantly by the stage of the estrous cycle during viral infection of the cervix; (3) after kidney infection, the number of infected neurons found within the spinal cord or dorsal root ganglia varied significantly across the estrous cycle. In both cases, animals infected in proestrus or estrus had fewer infected neurons than animals infected in diestrus I or diestrus II (proestrous and estrous animals had less than 20% of infected cells found in diestrus I or diestrus II rats). In the third experiment, older, persistent estrous or persistent diestrous rats were infected by kidney injection and given a 4-day survival period, prior to virus isolation from lower thoracic spinal cord. Animals in persistent estrous had significantly less virus per gram of tissue than the persistent diestrous rats. These data suggest that the CNS of animals in proestrus or estrus is less susceptible to PRV infection compared to animals in either diestrus I or diestrus II. Because estrogen replacement therapy is known to restore some immune functions during reproductive ageing, it is speculated that plasma estrogen levels modulate the central nervous system's susceptibility to viral infections.