Morphologic alterations of experimental rubella syndrome in rabbits

Rabbits were used as experimental subjects for study of circulation of the rubella virus in intrauterine life and of the histopathological alterations produced by inoculation of wild strains during the first third of pregnancy. Fetuses taken in the 14th, 21st and 28th days of pregnancy, as well as 1-month-old and 5-month-old animals were used for the embryologic and virological studied. Of the 20 animals infected, 90% presented histopathological lesions. The most affected viscera being the liver (80%), heart (60%). kidney (30%) and the crystalline lens (5%). Virological study was made of only 11 animals, from which 100% viral isolation was obtained, with similar results between viral isolation and the appearance of lesions in the liver (72%) and the kidney (44%), while a marked discrepancy in the virus-lesion relationship was found for the heart (33%) and the crystalline lens (77%). We conclude that the etiopathogeny of the syndrome cannot be explained only by direct action of the virus on the fetal tissues, but must be multiple.