Intravenous inoculation of a bat-associated rabies virus causes lethal encephalopathy in mice through invasion of the brain via neurosecretory hypothalamic fibers.

ABSTRACT: The majority of rabies virus (RV) infections are caused by bites or scratches from rabid carnivores or bats. Usually, RV utilizes the retrograde transport within the neuronal network to spread from the infection site to the central nervous system (CNS) where it replicates in neuronal somata and infects other neurons via trans-synaptic spread. We speculate that in addition to the neuronal transport of the virus, hematogenous spread from the site of infection directly to the brain after accidental spill over into the vascular system might represent an alternative way for RV to invade the CNS. So far, it is unknown whether hematogenous spread has any relevance in RV pathogenesis. To determine whether certain RV variants might have the capacity to invade the CNS from the periphery via hematoge

SUBMITTER: Preuss MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2691950 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature