The Susceptibility of Infant Rhesus Monkeys to Poliomyelitis Virus Administered by Mouth

Although rhesus monkeys have been generally regarded as refractory to infection with poliomyelitis virus administered by the oral route, two of seven infant rhesus developed paralytic poliomyelitis when fed murine-adapted strains of virus. Preliminary intranasal treatment with zinc sulfate and negative serial sections of the olfactory bulbs of the positive animals ruled out the possibility that infection occurred by way of the olfactory pathway. Studies on the distribution of virus in the tissues of the infected animals yielded positive results in one animal only. In this instance, virus was widely distributed throughout the body being isolated from spinal cord, buccal mucosa, duodenal wall, colon contents, superficial lymph nodes, spleen, heart, and adrenals.