Pathological studies on central nervous tissues of rats infected with Rattus serotype hantavirus (SR-11 strain)

Newborn rats inoculated intraperitoneally with a hantavirus strain (SR-11) developed neurological signs such as ataxia and limb paralysis. The main histological lesions were scattered and multiple neuronal degeneration and necrosis with eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (CIB) in the brain, spinal cord and ganglia. Immunohistochemically, the viral antigen was detected in neurons, capillary endothelial and glial cells throughout the nervous tissue and CIB were identified as consisting of hantaviral antigen (nucleocapsid protein). Ultrastructurally, CIB in the neurons consisted of an accumulation of granular or filamentous materials, or both. They were seen near a well-developed Golgi apparatus and associated with well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and increased numbers of ribosomes. The present results suggested that this virus strain was highly infective in neurons of the newborn rats and that excess production of viral antigen which accumulated as CIB resulted in the neuronal changes.