Encephalitis induced in rabbits by staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid

Rabbits were immunized with staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid (LTA) in Freund's adjuvant. After four injections (six weeks) the rabbits showed decreased activity and unsteadiness of the head. Two weeks after the sixth injection (ten weeks), two of five rabbits developed clinical signs of encephalitis with nystagmus, ataxia, general weakness, decreased activity, and dragging of the hind legs. The other three animals showed only mild symptoms. Neuropathological examination showed inflammatory infiltrates containing small lymphocytes and some plasma cells in the leptomeninges and within the perivascular spaces of the brain.