Congenital Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection in Gnotobiotic Mice

Abstract

The LCM virus penetrated the “germfree barrier,” thus reaffirming the congenital dissemination of the virus. The lesions associated with LCM infection in the gnotobiotic mice were clearly related to a hyperreactive immunologic mechanism, which induced degenerative kidney changes, depletion of cortical thymocytes, lymphoid cell infiltrations of many organs, and hypergam-maglobulinemia.