DETECTION OF RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) ANTIGEN IN THE LUNGS OF GUINEA-PIGS 6 WEEKS AFTER EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION AND DESPITE OF THE PRODUCTION OF NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES

Infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are characterized by frequently occuring reinfections and are regarded to be responsible f or bronchial hyperreactivity. In this report we describe a small-anima l model suited to study RSV-induced pathogenesis and immune response. Guinea pigs are infected by inhalation of an RSV-aerosol. Lungs of inf ected animals show signs of a bronchiolitis at 7 days after the initia l infection. Although neutralizing serum antibodies are synthesized vi ral proteins are still detectable at 6 weeks post infection. Therefore , the presence of neutralizing antibodies is obviously not sufficient for rapid clearance of persistent RSV-proteins from the lungs of infec ted guinea pigs.