Persistence of sialodacryoadenitis virus in athymic rats

To determine whether SDAV infection persists in athymic rats, weanling athymic rats and euthymic rats were inoculated intranasally with 10(4) TCID50 of SDAV and examined periodically for up to 90 days. Viral antigen and lesions characteristic of acute SDAV infection, including rhinotracheitis, bronchitis and sialodacryoadenitis, were detected in both groups of rats during the first week. In euthymic rats, tissues were under repair and viral antigen was undetectable by day 17, and tissues were histologically normal by day 31 except for mild focal dacryoadenitis. In athymic rats, viral antigen and chronic active inflammation of respiratory tract, salivary and lacrimal glands persisted through day 90. Inflammation and viral antigen also were observed in the transitional epithelium of the renal pelvis and urinary bladder as late as day 90. Virus was isolated from nasopharynx, lung, salivary gland and Harderian gland of athymic rats through day 90. All euthymic rats seroconverted to SDAV by day 6, whereas all athymic rats remained seronegative through day 31, and two of six were seropositive by day 90. As judged by seroconversion of contact sentinels, six of six athymic rats shed virus through 6 weeks, and five of six through 10 weeks. These results indicate that SDAV persists in athymic rats, and that normal T cell function is required for host defenses against SDAV.