title: Limbic encephalitis after inhalation of a murine coronavirus.
abstract: The spread of a neurotropic coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus strain A59, in the mouse central nervous system was studied after intranasal inoculation. Mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 spread during the 3- to 5-day postinoculation period, through the olfactory pathway into the limbic system. Coronavirus particles were detected in the limbic system by electron microscopy. The combination of temporal propagation through an anatomical-physiological central nervous system pathway and anatomical restriction of viral infection suggests that specific interneuronal transport is important in spread of the virus. This experimental system may represent a model for diseases associated with human coronaviruses (common cold viruses) and/or the human limbic system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lavi
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Highkin
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008032:Limbic System / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000648:ultrastructure