Virus-induced Pancreatic Disease by Venezuelan Encephalitis Virus: Alterations in Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Release.

摘要

Since virus-specific immunofluorescence (FA) is detectable in hamster pancreas during the acute phase of Venezuelan encephalitis (VE), experiments were designed to correlate pathologic and virologic events with metabolic studies in VE-infected hamsters. Golden Syrian hamsters were inoculated s.c. in groups of four to 12 with 100,000 plaque-forming units (PFU) of the vaccine strain (TC-83) of VE or 1,000 PFU of the virulent Trinidad strain of VE. Ultrastructurally, during Trinidad infection, mature virions were associated with the cell surfaces and within pancreatic beta cells in contrast to absence of virus-related changes in TC-83-infected hamsters. Virus-specific-FA was noted in islet cells and acinar cells of Trinidad-infected hamsters. VE growth curves demonstrated viral replication in pancreas with both strains. Glucose intolerance occurred in hamsters in each of the infected groups given 5 gm/kg. glucose except for the 90-day convalescent TC-83 group. Severely decreased IRI responses occurred in the 24-day and 90-day convalescent TC-83 hamsters following both 2- and 5-gm./kg. glucose.