SSPE measles virus: Non-productive and productive infection in vero cells and suckling mice

Abstract

Suckling mice have proved successful for the isolation of measles virus from the brain biopsy specimens of two clinical eases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). A productive infection, with cell-free virus, has been obtained in mouse brain tissues with both isolates. Subsequent infection of Vero cell cultures was obtained with mouse brain homogenates but not with mouse brain derived cell-free virus, thereby mimicking the situation with SSPE in which cocultivation of brain and Vero cells is needed to infect the Vero cells. A non-productive infection, with cell-associated virus, has been obtained in Vero cells for a limited period with one isolate (LW) and for an indefinite period with the other isolate (MD). Infectivity experiments with MD isolate suggest that the cell-associated character of this SSPE measles virus is not an indication of genomic defectiveness.