Natural Pathogenicity of Mumps Virus for Suckling Hamsters on Intracerebral Inoculation

Abstract

Mumps virus has been found to produce fatal encephalitis of suckling hamsters, signs of illness appearing 8 to 9 days after inoculation. The peak of the virus growth appears several days before clinical illness becomes manifest. Evidence is presented that mumps virus, freshly isolated from the human host, may have natural pathogenicity for suckling hamsters. Primary isolation of virus from a sample of human milk known to contain the agent, has been accomplished on first passage in suckling hamster brain. With death as a sharp endpoint, suckling hamsters make satisfactory animals for the performance of serum neutralization tests.