Theiler's virus antigen can persist in mouse spinal cords for up to 2.5 years despite negative viral recovery assays, with potential implications for detecting viruses in multiple sclerosis.
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Supports investigation of persistent viral antigens in MS; leaves open whether non-recoverable virus contributes to pathogenesis.
Spinal cord sections from mice injected with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) and surviving for 1 year and longer after infection were stained for virus antigen by two immunohistochemical techniques. Virus antigen was detected from 1 to 2 1/2 years after infection, a time when no virus was recovered at an assay sensitivity of 50 plaque-forming units per gram of tissue. The implication this has regarding the detection of a virus in MS is discussed.
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Lipton et al. (1984) studied this question.
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