ULTRASTRUCTURAL-STUDY ON EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION OF ROTAVIRUS IN A MURINE HETEROLOGOUS MODEL

Viral replication, histopathological and ultrastructural changes were observed for a period of nine days in the small intestine of suckling mice infected with a simian rotavirus (SA11). Samples taken from duode num, jejunum and ileum were prepared for light microscopy, transmissio n and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Histopathologic effect co uld be detected within 8 hr post-infection, when only a few altered ce lls were observed Damage was extensive after 16 hr post-infection, sho wing swollen enterocytes and reduced and irregularly oriented microvil li at intestinal villi tips. Virus particles were detected at 16 and 4 8 hr post-infection, budding from the viroplasm into the rough endopla smic reticulum cisternae in ileum enterocytes. Clear evidence of viral replication, observed by electron microscopy was not described before in heterologous murine models. Regeneration of the intestinal villi b egan at the third day post-infection. Despite some differences observe d in clinical symptoms and microscopic analysis of homologous and hete rologous rotavirus infections; we concluded that mechanisms of heterol ogous rotavirus infection in mice follow similar patterns to those obs erved in the homologous models.