Neurovirulence test for oral live poliovaccines using poliovirus-sensitive transgenic mice

The transgenic mice, ICR-PVRTg21, carrying the human poliovirus receptor gene, were intraspinally inoculated with oral poliovirus vaccine viruses and the viruses that had been derived from a vaccine preparation by passagings at 38 degrees. Dose-dependent incidence of paralysis was observed in the transgenic mice inoculated with any of the viruses used. All transgenic mice showing histopathological lesions in the central nervous system appeared to display clinical signs that resembled those observed in human poliomyelitis. These suggest that relative neurovirulence levels of individual virus preparations can be estimated by values of 50% paralysis dose. Indeed, the parameter correlated well with monkey lesion scores of viruses used. Histopathological changes such as degeneration of neurons resemble those displayed by monkeys and were observed in the spinal cord, medulla oblongata, and pons. Thus, the transgenic mice, ICR-PVRTg21, may become a new animal model in place of monkeys for safety testing of oral poliovirus vaccine preparations.