Je. Osorio et Tm. Yuill, LA-CROSSE VIREMIAS IN MONGOLIAN GERBILS (MERIONES UNGUICULATIS), The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 55(5), 1996, pp. 567-569
Citations number
20
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Tropical Medicine
We examined the usefulness of mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus
) as a new animal model for La Crosse virus (LACV) studies. Gerbils we
re exposed to LACV by either intramuscular (im) inoculation or exposur
e to transovarially infected Aedes triseriatus. Our studies indicate t
hat gerbils may be a suitable animal model for LACV infection. Gerbils
were susceptible to LACV, survived viral infection, and developed vir
emias and neutralizing antibody titers following exposure by im inject
ion and by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Moreover, they are attract
ive to mosquito vectors. Gerbils have other advantages as laboratory v
ertebrate hosts for LACV: they are inexpensive, breed in captivity, an
d are usually mild-mannered and easy to handle. Thus, gerbils are a su
itable model in the study of LACV pathogenesis as well as of transplac
ental and vector transmission.