Experimental Research for Mechanism of Brain Abnormalities Induced by Intrauterine Infection with Cytomegalovirus.

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Brains of mouse fetus were infected with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) by intraventricular injection with MCMV on day 15 of gestation. At first. We have done neuropathological analysis of the brains of the offspring after birth. We found that some of the neurons were susceptible to MCMV infection, especially in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus by immunohistochemical double staining using antibodies to neuron-specific enolase and antibodies to the immdiate-early antigen of MCMV. Cystic brain lesions in the cortex and the white matter were observed in about 20% of the MCMV-infected mouse 3 to 4 weeks after birth. As perivascular caffings were observed around the cystic lesions, we performed the immunohistochemical double staining using antibodies to human factor VIII and the anti-MCMV antibodies. We found that some of the endothelial cells of the brain blood vessels were infected with MCMV. Therefore, it is possible that cystic lesions may be formed by ischemic consequences after infection of the vessels with MCMV.