Infection of young adult mice with dengue virus type 2

Abstract

Young adult female mice, five to six weeks old, were injected intraperitoneally with 2·5 × 10 6·3 LD 50 of dengue-2 virus, New Guinea C strain. The mice were killed on day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 and 35 respectively. By means of the immunofluorescent antibody technique, viral antigen appeared as irregular granules in the reticuloendothelial cells of liver, lymph nodes and spleen of infected mice on the first day after inoculation and then diminished. From the fifth to sixth day of infection dengue antigen appeared again as homogeneous staining in the cytoplasm of single or groups of mononuclear cells in the lymphatic sinuses only. Later, by the third week of infection, dengue antigen could be seen in the mononuclear cells located in the marginal zone of lymphoid follicle of the spleen, the pattern of staining changing to bright spherical granules. At the same time, the deposition of immune complexes (composed of dengue antigen, mouse gamma and β1C globulin) could be seen in the renal glomeruli of infected mice. Serum antibody to dengue virus was found at low levels, being maximal on the 14th day after infection. Dengue virus was not isolated from the sera or from the infected organs. Granulomatous inflammation developed in lymph nodes and liver of mice infected with dengue virus and in mice inoculated with normal mouse brain suspension. Proliferative glomerular lesion was observed on day 14 after inoculation without definite abnormal urine findings.