Preferential infection of neuronal and astroglia cells by Akabane virus inprimary cultures of fetal bovine brain

Akabane virus is a member of the genus Bunyavirus; it is pathogenic for rum inants and transmitted by arthropod vectors. Infection of adult cattle and sheep causes a transient viremia without obvious clinical signs, while infe ction of pregnant animals often causes fetal abnormalities including hydran encephaly, poliomyelitis and arthrogryposis. Infectious virus ox viral anti gens is present in the brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle of infected f etuses. To understand the interaction between Akabane virus and bovine brai n cells, we investigated the viral tropism using primary cultures of fetal bovine brain. The cultured neuronal cells, astroglia cells and microglia ce lls were distinguished by cell type specific antisera. Akabane virus was fo und to infect neuronal cells and astroglia cells, which led to degenerative death. No microglia cells were found infected. In some brain cultures, we observed different sensitivities of the cells to two Akabane virus strains: an attenuated strain infected and spread more readily than wild type virus . This difference was not observed in a hamster fibroblast cell line. Both viral and host determinants might be involved in the different susceptibili ty of brain cells to Akabane virus infection. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.