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Biomedical subjects

M P Frolova

Publications and source records attributed to M P Frolova.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Characterization of a siberian virus isolated from a patient with progressive chronic tick-borne encephalitis.

A strain of Tick-borne encephalitis virus designated Zausaev (Za) was isolated in Siberia from a patient who died of a progressive (2-year) form of tick-borne encephalitis 10 years after being bitten by a tick. The complete genomic sequence of this virus was determined, and an attempt was made to correlate the sequence with the biological characteristics of the virus. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this virus belongs to the Siberian subtype of Tick-borne encephalitis virus. Comparison of Za virus with two related viruses, a Far Eastern isolate, Sofjin, and a Siberian isolate, Vasilchenko, revealed differences among the three viruses in pathogenicity for Syrian hamsters, cytopathogenicity for PS cells, plaque morphology, and the electrophoretic profiles of virus-specific nonstructural proteins. Comparative amino acid alignments revealed 10 individual amino acid substitutions in the Za virus polyprotein sequence that were different from those of other tick-borne flaviviruses. Notably, the dimeric form of the Za virus NS1 protein migrated in polyacrylamide gels as a heterogeneous group of molecules with a significantly higher electrophoretic mobility than those of the Sofjin and Vasilchenko viruses. Two amino acid substitutions, T(277)-->V and E(279)-->G, within the NS1 dimerization domain are probably responsible for the altered oligomerization of Za virus NS1. These studies suggest that the patient from whom Za virus was isolated died due to increased pathogenicity of the latent virus following spontaneous mutagenesis.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

[The clinical picture and pathogenesis of polyradiculoneuropathy in tick-borne encephalitis].

Based on examination of tick-borne encephalitis patients with ascending polyradiculoneuropathy the authors describe the character of the disease, its clinical picture and the results of laboratory studies, etc. Differential diagnosis is made between the indicated syndrome associated with tick-borne encephalitis and sporadic polyradiculoneuropathies. A detailed description is given for the first time of the clinical and pathomorphological picture of that gravest form of tick-borne encephalitis. As regards the character of the clinical and pathomorphological alterations, the ascending polyradiculoneuropathy associated with tick-borne encephalitis is meningoencephalomyelitis with the radicular syndrome which often determines the disease gravity and prognosis.

Adolescent↗

Molecular hybridization with cloned fragments of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus cDNA in acute and chronic TBE infection.

Recombinant plasmid DNA was used as a probe to detect tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus RNA during incubation period, acute disease and persistent infection of syrian hamsters. Within the first three weeks post-infection the results of direct virus isolation and RNA detection in the brain agreed by a rate of 100%, the virus titre ranging between 10(1.9) to 10(10.5) LD50/ml and viral RNA concentration at 1-1000 pg. At the same time TBE virus RNA was detected in the spleen when the virus titre was greater than or equal to 10(6.5) LD50/ml. By 8 months post infection (p.i.) viral RNA was found in the brain, liver, and spleen in the absence of infectious TBE virus. No viral RNA was present in the thymus. In addition, electron microscopic findings in hamster brain confirmed the hypothesis that TBE virus persistence was accompanied by formation of virus-specific structures but impaired virion maturation.

Acute Disease↗

Antigenic comparison of Yuli and Vnukovo-32 virus strains in monkeys: specific protection by commercial antirabies preparations.

A combined vaccination schedule using commercial antirabies immunoglobulin G and experimental vaccine from strains Vnukovo-32 or Yuli beginning 2 hr before intracerebral (i.c.) challenge with a high dose of Yuli virus conferred no protection to Cercopithecus aethiops monkeys. In monkeys inoculated into lip with a middle dose of Yuli virus, administration of large amounts of antirabic IgG (up to 5000 national units, NU/kg) had a clearcut effect. The disease in Yuli virus-infected monkeys showed typical signs of acute encephalitis with lethal outcome, although one animal which developed typical encephalitis recovered as evidenced by increased virus-neutralizing antibodies in its serum. Inflammatory and degenerative lesions developed in the CNS of animals with signs of acute encephalomyelitis; their intensity was less prominent in those monkeys which underwent the combined treatment. In the cytoplasm of brain neurons of monkeys infected with Yuli virus relatively small Babes-Negri bodies with more or less apparent internal structure were detected.

Animals↗

[Pathogenesis of persistent and chronic forms of tick-borne encephalitis (experimental study)].

A long-term experiment was conducted to study various aspects of the pathogenesis of persistent and chronic tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Virological, serological, pathomorphological, electron microscopic and immunofluorescent techniques have been utilized in this study. Persistent TBE infection of Syrian hamsters examined over the period from 40 days to 2 years was characterized by the presence of virus-specific antigens in the organs and of specific antibodies in the blood serum. The persisting TBE virus was found to be predominantly localized in the central nervous system and spleen. Nerve cells underwent ultrastructural changes which were characteristic of flavivirus infection and related to the morphogenesis of viral particles. The authors have developed an experimental model of a primary progressive form of TBE with early and late manifestations of clinical symptoms of the disease.

Animals↗

Neurovirulence of the intertypic poliovirus recombinant v3/a1-25: characterization of strains isolated from the spinal cord of diseased monkeys and evaluation of the contribution of the 3' half of the genome.

A tsRNA- intertypic recombinant, v3/a1-25, which has the 5' and 3' halves of the genome derived from the neurovirulent type 3 poliovirus strain 452/62 3D and the attenuated type 1 poliovirus strain LSc-gr3, respectively, was previously shown to cause severe paralytic poliomyelitis after intracerebral inoculation of monkeys. To ascertain whether the illness was caused by the recombinant itself or by temperature-resistant trRNA+ mutants that might have arisen in the inoculated monkeys, five independent virus strains have been isolated from the spinal cord of the diseased animals. While two of these isolates exhibited RNA+ and RNA +/- phenotypes, respectively, the other three strains retained the parental RNA- character. Except for the RNA+ strain, the RNase T1 oligonucleotide maps of the genomes of all the isolates revealed only a minimal deviation from the parental pattern. These results were interpreted to mean that v3/a1-25 is intrinsically neurovirulent despite the presence of a tsRNA- mutation(s) in the 3' half of its genome. Nevertheless, this mutation, or other peculiarities of the 3' half of the recombinant genome, may somewhat alleviate the pathogenicity of the virus. This notion was inferred from the fact that, when used in a relatively small dose (about 10(3) p.f.u.), v3/a1-25 appeared to exhibit a lower level of neurovirulence compared to either the wild-type parent 452/62 3D, or a closely related intertypic recombinant having the genome 3' half derived from a neurovirulent trRNA +/- type 1 poliovirus strain. The problem of genetic determination of poliovirus neurovirulence and attenuation is briefly discussed.

Animals↗

Persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in monkeys. VI. Pathomorphology of chronic infection in central nervous system.

Histological changes were studied in the central nervous system (CNS) of 58 Macaca rhesus monkeys, infected intracerebrally (i.c.) and subcutaneously (s.c.) with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus. Subacute degenerative process in the CNS occurred in 7 monkeys on days 15-24 post-infection (p.i.), while chronic degenerative changes were observed in 5 monkeys examined on days 45, 90, 279, 383, 789 p.i. Pathological changes in the CNS of 11 monkeys correlated with the clinical picture of subacute and chronic encephalitis. Chronic lesions were observed in the CNS of 1 monkey with asymptotic infection. The pathomorphology of the CNS lesions was characterized by progressive development of focal changes of various duration.

Animals↗

Study on West Nile virus persistence in monkeys.

Experiments in M. rhesus showed persistence to be a typical property of West Nile virus. This property was exhibited by strains belonging to different antigenic types, and varying in virulence and in the isolation area (U.S.S.R., Uganda, India). The duration of persistence was at least 5 1/2 months in asymptomatic infection and in convalescence after encephalitis or a febrile disease. The virus isolated within the first 2 weeks after inoculation of monkeys has the standard properties. The virus persisting for 2 months retains its cytopathic and antigenic activity, however, is non-pathogenic for white mice. After 5 1/2 months of persistence the virus has no neurovirulence or cytopathic properties but is capable of infecting the susceptible cells and induces in them the synthesis of virus-specific antigen detectable by immunofluorescence. The persisting virus has been isolated by cocultivation of trypsinized monkey organ cells and cells of the indicator culture. This virus was located mostly in the cerebellum, cerebral subcortical ganglia, lymph nodes, and kidneys. The monkeys experiencing encephalitis, febrile, or asymptomatic infection showed in morphological examinations a subacute inflammatory-degenerative process in the central nervous system. The results suggest that West Nile virus, one of the most widely spread arboviruses in Africa, Asia, and Europe, may be implicated in the etiology of subacute diseases of the CNS.

Animals↗

Persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus IV. Virus localization after intracerebral inoculation.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus was isolated from the brains and spinal cords, blood, livers, lymph nodes and kidneys from Macaca rhesus monkeys showing acute and subacute fatal encephalitis. In subacute encephalitis, virus titres in the CNS were lower than in acute disease (3.0--6.2 against 3.8--8.3 log LD50/ml). TBE virus localization in chronic encephalitis was largely the same as in acute and subacute disease. In monkeys with a chronic course and stable paralysis of the upper extremity, infectious TBE virus was isolated on day 383 from subcortical ganglia and spinal cord. In lymph nodes and spleen, it could be detected only by a combination of methods (co-cultivation in association with fluorescent antibody technique and complement-fixation test, explantation of organ fragments) more sensitive than is the inoculation of mice with organ homogenates. TBE virus was detected by the same methods on day 90 in the CNS and internal organs of a monkey with chronic encephalitis in the stage of remission.

Animals↗

Persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in monkeys. V. Virus localization after subcutaneous inoculation.

In 28 Macaca rhesus monkeys inoculated subcutaneously (s.c.) with different strains and mutants of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and developing asymptomatic infection, TBE virus and the virus-specific antigen were found at different intervals up to 302 days post inoculation (p.i.) in the CNS and internal organs (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, kidneys). When cyclophosphane (CP) was used as an immunosuppressor, no significant changes in virus distribution were observed with the exception of more frequent isolations at early intervals from kidneys and at late intervals from spleen. With or without CP administration virus was found in the spinal cord at 3--6 days, in the cerebellum and subcortical ganglia at 11--14 days, in the cerebral cortex at 19 days p.i. Early after inoculation the virus was more frequently isolated from the CNS than from the internal organs; later (93--302 days p.i.) the persisting virus or virus-specific antigen were predominantly found in internal organs. The set of sensitive methods used facilitated to detect the persistence of TBE virus in noninfectious form in monkeys with asymptomatic infection.

Animals↗

Persistence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in monkeys. I. Features of experimental infection.

Sixty-seven Macaca rhesus monkeys were inoculated with 2 mutants and 3 virulent strains of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus including strains isolated from patients with a chronic form of TBE. A model of the clinical course of acute, subacute, and chronic encephalitis was produced by intracerebral inoculation and that of asymptomatic infection was produced by subcutaneous inoculation [with or without administration of cyclophosphane (CP)]. Virus persistence developed after inoculation with all the strains, after non-fatal encephalitis and inapparent infection irrespective of CP administration. In monkeys recovering from encephalitis the virus persisted for at least 783 days. After asymptomatic infection, it persisted for 302 days; neither virus nor virus-specific antigen was detected at 356, 367, and 620 days.

Animals↗

[Experimental monkey encephalitis caused by Powassan virus].

A comparative study of the experimental infection of monkeys caused by brain P-40 of Powassan virus isolated in the Primorye Territory of the USSR and by the prototype Canadian strain LB was carried out. Powassan virus was found to be pathogenic for Macaca rhesus. Clinical and pathomorphological picture of the experimental encephalitis was studied. Full identity of the infection caused in the monkeys by the strain P-40 and the Canadian strain LB of Powassan virus has been proved. On electronmicroscopic examination of the central nervous system the virus was detected in the neurons, glial cells and intercellular spaces. The virions of the strains studied have identical morphological parameters, being 37 to 45 nm in diameter and having spherical shape. The data obtained point to a marked neurotropism of the virus. They will contribute to elucidation of the virus role in the infectious pathology of man, and namely, in verification of encephalitis cases not associated etiologically with the virus of the spring-summer tick-borne encephalitis.

Animals↗

Light and electron microscope study of the neurotropism of Powassan virus strain P-40.

Brains of adult white mice inoculated with the P-40 strain of Powassan virus isolated in Primorsky Krai (U.S.S.R) from ticks were studied by light and electron microscopy. Accumulations of virus particles were found in neurons and their dendrites and axons, in glial cells, and in intercellular spaces. In the nerve cells, most prevalent were changes of the type of chromatolysis and formation of small vacuoles, associated with the alteration of the endoplasmic reticulum induced by virus morphogenesis. In virus-affected cells, multilayer dense membranes were found.

Animals↗

Experimental encephalitis in monkeys caused by the Powassan virus.

We have carried out a comparative study of the experimental infection of monkeys with the P-40 strain of the Powassen virus, isolated in the Primor'e Territory of the USSR, and with the Canadian prototype LB strain. The Powassan virus was found to be pathogenic for Macaca rhesus. The clinical and pathomorphological picture of the experimental encephalitis was studied, and the full identity of the infection produced in the monkeys by the P-40 strain and the Canadian LB strain of the Powassan virus was demonstrated. On electron microscopic examination of the central nervous system the virus was detected in the neurons, glial cells, and intercellular spaces. The virions of the strains studied have identical morphological parameters, being 37-45 nm in diameter and of spherical shape. The data obtained indicated a marked neurotropism of the virus. They will contribute to the elucidation of the role of the virus in the infection pathology of humans, i.e., in the differentiation of encephalitis cases not associated etiologically with the virus of the spring-summer tickborne encephalitis.

Animals↗