%0 Journal Article %J Microbes Infect %D 2013 %T Infectivity of rabies virus-exposed macrophages. %A Nazé, Florence %A Vanessa Suin %A Lamoral, Sophie %A Aurélie Francart %A Bernard Brochier %A S. Roels %A Jan Mast %A Kalai, Michael %A Steven Van Gucht %K Animals %K Antibodies, Neutralizing %K Antibodies, Viral %K Antibody Formation %K Antigens, Viral %K Bone Marrow %K brain %K Cell Death %K Immunity, Humoral %K Injections, Intramuscular %K Macrophages %K mice %K Mice, Inbred C57BL %K Microscopy, Electron %K Nose %K Rabies %K Rabies virus %K RNA, Viral %K Spleen %K Viral Load %K Virus Cultivation %X

Rabies virus distributes widely in infected mice, including lymphoid tissues and spleen macrophages. The infection characteristics in murine macrophages and the infectivity of virus-exposed macrophages were examined upon inoculation in mice. In vitro, Mf4/4 spleen macrophages supported mild virus production (10(4)-fold less than neuroblastoma), with formation of typical virions. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) were most efficient to capture virus, but new virus production was not detected. Virus-induced cell death was significantly stronger in BMM, which might have eliminated BMM with productive infection. Still, viral RNA remained detectable in the remaining BMM for at least 4 weeks. Injection of in vitro-infected Mf4/4 in the nose or brain proved efficient to propagate infection in mice, even when cells were pre-incubated with neutralizing antibodies. Surprisingly, injection of ex-vivo-infected BMM in the brain also led to lethal infection in 8 out of 12 mice. Injection of infected Mf4/4 in the muscle mostly favoured a protective antibody response. Despite that macrophages are less fit to support virus production, they can still act as a source of infectious virus upon transfer in mice. This may be relevant for screening donor organs/cells, for which RT-PCR should be preferred over the traditional antigen or virus isolation assays.

%B Microbes Infect %V 15 %P 115-25 %8 2013 Feb %G eng %N 2 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23159243?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.micinf.2012.10.018