The pathogenesis of murine coronavirus infection of the central nervous system.
Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that causes an acute encephalomyelitis that later resolves into a chronic fulminating demyelinating disease. Cytokine production, chemokine secretion, and immune cell infiltration into the central nervous system are critical to control viral replication during acute infection. Despite potent antiviral T-lymphocyte activity, sterile immunity is not achieved, and MHV chronically persists within oligodendrocytes. Continued infiltration and activation of the immune system, a result of the lingering viral antigen and RNA within oligodendrocytes, lead directly to the development of an immune-mediated demyelination that bears remarkable similarities, both clinically and histologically, to the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. MHV offers a unique model system for studying host defense during acute viral infection and immune-mediated demyelination during chronic infection.
Lane
Thomas E
TE
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3900, USA.
Hosking
Martin P
MP
D000818:Animals; D020805:Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*