Studies of Old Dog Encephalitis. II. Electron Microscopic and Immunohistologie Findings

Abstract

Intranuclear inclusions in neurons and glial cells of a dog with old dog encephalitis had paramyxovirus nucleocapsid structures identical to those observed in distemperinfected CNS tissue. This finding further suggests that the distemper virus is involved in the pathogenesis of old dog encephalitis. Canine γ-globulin (IgG) was demonstrated in frozen brain sections by means of the direct fluorescent antibody test. Although IgG occurred in the cyptoplasm of mononuclear cells and in the neural parenchyma in those areas where viral antigen was most abundant, it was not established if it was antibody to distemper virus.