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The Production Of Antibody By Invading B Cells Is Required For The Clearance Of Rabies Virus From The Central Nervous System., D Craig Hooper, Timothy W Phares, Marzena J Fabis, Anirban Roy

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of rabies is associated with the inability to deliver immune effectors across the blood-brain barrier and to clear virulent rabies virus from CNS tissues. However, the mechanisms that facilitate immune effector entry into CNS tissues are induced by infection with attenuated rabies virus.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Infection of normal mice with attenuated rabies virus but not immunization with killed virus can promote the clearance of pathogenic rabies virus from the CNS. T cell activity in B cell-deficient mice can control the replication of attenuated virus in the CNS, but viral mRNA persists. Low levels of passively administered rabies …

Intravenous Inoculation Of A Bat-Associated Rabies Virus Causes Lethal Encephalopathy In Mice Through Invasion Of The Brain Via Neurosecretory Hypothalamic Fibers., Mirjam A R Preuss, Marie-Luise Faber, Gene S Tan, Michael Bette, Bernhard Dietzschold, Eberhard Weihe, Matthias J Schnell

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

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 …