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Nonsuppurative Encephalitis in Piglets after Experimental Inoculation of Japanese Encephalitis Flavivirus Isolated from Pigs

Laboratory of Chronic Disease Pathology, National Institute of Animal Health, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

Nonsuppurative encephalitis was experimentally induced in 3-week-old piglets by a single intravenous inoculation of either of two strains (IB 2001 or AS-6) of Japanese encephalitis flavivirus (JEV) isolated from field pigs. The lesions, which consisted of neuronal necrosis, neuronophagia, glial nodules, and perivas-cular cuffing, were distributed in the cerebrum, midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum, particularly in the gray matter of the frontal and temporal lobes and thalamus. The gray matter of the spinal cord of piglets that were given the AS-6 strain also was affected. JEV antigen was immunohistochemically detected in the cytoplasm of the nerve cells in the cortex of the frontal and temporal lobes and in the gray matter of the thalamus and midbrain. Two JEV strains isolated from field pigs exhibited neurovirulence, inducing nonsup-purative encephalitis in piglets.

Key words: Brain; Japanese encephalitis flavivirus; nonsuppurative encephalitis; piglets.

Request reprints from Dr. M. Yamada, Laboratory of Chronic Disease Pathology, National Institute of Animal Health, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856 (Japan). E-mail: oomae{at}niah.affrc.go.jp.