Genital herpesvirus hominis infection in mice. I. Development of an experimental model.
Pregnant female mice, after intravaginal inoculation with Herpesvirus hominis (HVH) type 2, developed vaginitis on days 5 to 7 after virus challenge, followed by hunching and hind limb paralysis on days 7 to 9  and death from encephalitis on days 9 to 11. After initial replication in the mucous membranes of the genital tract, virus spread to the spinal cord and ascended to involve the brain. Viremia or replication of H. hominis type 2 in the liver or spleen was not detected. Virus was cleared from vaginal secretions by days 8 to 10 after infection. Pregnant mice were more susceptible to the infection than nonpregnant mice. This experimental infection in female mice provides a model for genital herpesvirus infection and for herpesvirus infection and for herpesvirus encephalitis in which one can evaluate potentially promising antiviral chemotherapeutic agents.
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000382:microbiology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000382:microbiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000209:etiology; D014779:Virus Replication