title: An experimental model of meningoencephalomyelitis by Rocio flavivirus in BALB/c mice: inflammatory response, cytokine production, and histopathology.
abstract: Rocio virus (ROCV) is a flavivirus, probably transmitted by Culex mosquitoes and maintained in nature as a zoonosis of wild birds. Rocio virus caused a human epidemic of severe encephalitis that lasted from 1973 to 1980 in the Ribeira valley, in the southeastern coast of Brazil. After this outbreak, serologic evidence of ROCV circulation has been reported and public health authorities are concerned about a return of ROCV outbreaks in Brazil. We show here a study on the pathogenesis and the physiopathology of ROCV disease in the central nervous system of a Balb/C young adult mice experimental model. The animals were intraperitoneally infected by ROCV and followed from 0 to 9 days after infection, when all of them died. Nervous tissue samples were collected from infected animals for immunohistochemistry and molecular biology analysis. We observed the virus in the central nervous system, the inflammatory changes induced by Th1 and Th2 cytokines, and the final irreversible damage of nervous tissues by neuronal degeneration and apoptosis. These findings can help to better understand the pathogenesis and physiopathology of the human meningoencephalomyelitis by ROCV and other flaviviruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Veridiana Ester Dias
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: de Barros
authors.forename: Fabiano P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Saggioro
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neder
authors.forename: Rafael Freitas
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: de Oliveira França
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mariguela
authors.forename: Juliana Helena
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chávez
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penharvel
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Forjaz
authors.forename: Benedito Antônio Lopes
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.forename: Luiz Tadeu Moraes
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004679:Encephalomyelitis / Q000473:pathology*; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000145:classification*; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000821:virology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012367:RNA, Viral