Phenotypic Characterization of Encephalitis and Immune Response in the Brains of Lambs Experimentally Infected with Spanish Goat Encephalitis Virus

摘要

This article studies the local immune response in the central nervous system (CNS) in lambs experimentally infected with Spanish goat encephalitis virus. CNS sections were immunostained to detect microglia, astrocytes, T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes. In glial foci and perivascular cuffing areas, microglia were the most abundant cell type (45.4% of immunostained cells), followed by T lymphocytes (18.6%) and B lymphocytes (4.4%). Reactive astrogliosis occurred to a greater extent in the lumbosacral spinal cord. Thalamus, hypothalamus, corpus callosum, and medulla oblongata cord contained the largest areas occupied by glial foci. Lesions were more severe in lambs than in goats.