Encephalitis induced in non-human primates by canine distemper virus adapted to human neural cells

The Onderstepoort strain of canine distemper virus (CDV) adapted to human oligodendroglioma, neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells, was intracerebrally inoculated into cynomolgus monkeys. All the three viruses caused periventricular encephalitis involving the brain stem. When the neurovirulence of these viruses were compared in terms of clinical signs and histopathological changes, the oligodendroglioma-adapted virus showed the neurovirulence of the highest degree inducing degeneration of axons and glial cells. Chronic encephalitis was also observed. The neuroblastoma-adapted virus induced predominantly nerve-cell degeneration although clinically this virus showed slightly lower degree of neurovirulence than the oligodendroglioma-adapted viruses. The glioblastoma-adapted virus showed clinically much lower neurovirulence than the other two viruses; all monkeys infected with this virus survived and produced high level of antibody in most cases. Histopathologically degeneration of axons and glial cells was characteristics although the incidence was less frequent than the oligodendroglioma-adapted virus. Predominant involvement of nerve cells by neuroblastoma-adapted virus and predominant involvement of axon and glial cells by oligodendroglioma-adapted virus and by glioblastoma-adapted virus suggest that in vitro tropism of the virus to neural cells is partially reflected on tropism of the virus in the CNS.