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Martínez IZ, Pérez-Martínez C, Salinas LM, Juste RA, García Marín JF, Balseiro A. Phenotypic Characterization of Encephalitis and Immune Response in the Brains of Lambs Experimentally Infected with Spanish Goat Encephalitis Virus. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10081373. [PMID: 32784781 PMCID: PMC7459603 DOI: 10.3390/ani10081373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary 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. Abstract Spanish goat encephalitis virus (SGEV), a novel subtype of tick-borne flavivirus closely related to louping ill virus, causes a neurological disease in experimentally infected goats and lambs. Here, the distribution of microglia, T and B lymphocytes, and astrocytes was determined in the encephalon and spinal cord of eight Assaf lambs subcutaneously infected with SGEV. Cells were identified based on immunohistochemical staining against Iba1 (microglia), CD3 (T lymphocytes), CD20 (B lymphocytes), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocytes). 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%). Thalamus, hypothalamus, corpus callosum, and medulla oblongata contained the largest areas occupied by glial foci. Reactive astrogliosis occurred to a greater extent in the lumbosacral spinal cord than in other regions of the central nervous system. Lesions were more frequent on the side of the animal experimentally infected with the virus. Lesions were more severe in lambs than in goats, suggesting that lambs may be more susceptible to SGEV, which may be due to species differences or to interindividual differences in the immune response, rather than to differences in the relative proportions of immune cells. Larger studies that monitor natural or experimental infections may help clarify local immune responses to this flavivirus subtype in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Z. Martínez
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24006 León, Spain; (I.Z.M.); (C.P.-M.); (L.M.S.); (J.F.G.M.)
- Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, UPAEP Universidad, Puebla 72410, Mexico
| | - Claudia Pérez-Martínez
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24006 León, Spain; (I.Z.M.); (C.P.-M.); (L.M.S.); (J.F.G.M.)
| | - Luis M. Salinas
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24006 León, Spain; (I.Z.M.); (C.P.-M.); (L.M.S.); (J.F.G.M.)
- Universidad Internacional Antonio de Valdivieso, UNIAV, 47000 Rivas, Nicaragua
| | - Ramón A. Juste
- Animal Health Department, NEIKER-Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario, 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain;
| | - Juan F. García Marín
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24006 León, Spain; (I.Z.M.); (C.P.-M.); (L.M.S.); (J.F.G.M.)
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, CSIC-Universidad de León, Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 León, Spain
| | - Ana Balseiro
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24006 León, Spain; (I.Z.M.); (C.P.-M.); (L.M.S.); (J.F.G.M.)
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, CSIC-Universidad de León, Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 León, Spain
- Correspondence:
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