Preliminar characterization of a new virus isolated from the spinal fluid of patients with meningitis in São Paulo, Brazil

Takimoto, Sueko; Tanaka, Hatune; Gomes, Luis F. Salles; Waldman, Eliseu A.; Perreira, Helio G.; Paiva, Teresinha M.; Coimbra, Teresinha L.; Ueda, Marli; Meles, Heloísa H. G.

doi:10.1590/S0036-46651990000300003

Abstracts

A total of 138 patients with the age of 4 months to 57 years were attended in different hospitals of São Paulo State with aseptic meningitis. A probable new agent was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of 35 of 53 specimens examined. Replication of the agent with similar characteristics was detected by CPE produced in the MDCK cell line. Virus-like particles measuring about 40 nm in diameter were observed by negative staining electron microscopy. No hemaglutinating activity was detected at pH 7.2 by using either human, guinea pig, chicken and at pH ranged 6.0 - 7.2 with goose red blood cells. The agent was not pathogenic to newborn or adult mice. Virus infectivity as measured by CPE was sensitive to chloroform and not inhibited by BuDR, suggesting that agent is an enveloped virus with RNA genome.

Aseptic meningitis; Aetiologic agent; Characterization of meningitis associated virus

De dezembro de 1982 a março de 1983 um total de 138 pacientes com idade de 4 meses a 57 anos foram atendidos em diferentes hospitais de São Paulo com sintomas de meningite asséptica. Um agente transmissível foi isolado de 35 das 53 amostras de liquor. A replicação desse novo vírus ou de um grupo de vírus relacionados antigenicamente com características semelhantes foi detectada através do efeito citopático produzido em cultura de células de MDCK. O agente isolado demonstrou ter um diâmetro em torno de 40 nm quando examinado ao microscópio eletrônico através da coloração negativa. Nenhuma atividade hemaglutinante foi detectada em pH 7,2 com hemácias humanas de cobaias ou de galinha e em pH 6,0 - 7,2 com hemácias de ganso. Esse agente não se mostrou patogênico ao camundongo recém-nascido e adulto, era sensível ao clorofórmio e não foi inibido pelo BuDR, o que indica conter o genoma RNA.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Preliminar characterization of a new virus isolated from the spinal fluid of patients with meningitis in São Paulo, Brazil⁽¹ (1 ) Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brasil. ⁾

Caracterização preliminar de um novo vírus isolado de liquor de pacientes com meningite asséptica em São Paulo, Brasil

Sueko Takimoto^I; Hatune Tanaka^I; Luis F. Salles Gomes^I; Eliseu A. Waldman^I; Helio G. Perreira^II; Teresinha M. Paiva^I; Teresinha L. Coimbra^I; Marli Ueda^I; Heloísa H. G. Meles^I

^IInstituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brasil

^IIInstituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

^{Address for correspondence} Address for correspondence: Sueko Takimoto, PhD Seção de Vírus Respiratórios, Instituto Adolfo Lutz Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 355 01246 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

SUMMARY

A total of 138 patients with the age of 4 months to 57 years were attended in different hospitals of São Paulo State with aseptic meningitis. A probable new agent was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of 35 of 53 specimens examined. Replication of the agent with similar characteristics was detected by CPE produced in the MDCK cell line. Virus-like particles measuring about 40 nm in diameter were observed by negative staining electron microscopy. No hemaglutinating activity was detected at pH 7.2 by using either human, guinea pig, chicken and at pH ranged 6.0 7.2 with goose red blood cells. The agent was not pathogenic to newborn or adult mice. Virus infectivity as measured by CPE was sensitive to chloroform and not inhibited by BuDR, suggesting that agent is an enveloped virus with RNA genome.

Key words: Aseptic meningitis; Aetiologic agent; Characterization of meningitis associated virus.

RESUMO

De dezembro de 1982 a março de 1983 um total de 138 pacientes com idade de 4 meses a 57 anos foram atendidos em diferentes hospitais de São Paulo com sintomas de meningite asséptica.

Um agente transmissível foi isolado de 35 das 53 amostras de liquor. A replicação desse novo vírus ou de um grupo de vírus relacionados antigenicamente com características semelhantes foi detectada através do efeito citopático produzido em cultura de células de MDCK. O agente isolado demonstrou ter um diâmetro em torno de 40 nm quando examinado ao microscópio eletrônico através da coloração negativa. Nenhuma atividade hemaglutinante foi detectada em pH 7,2 com hemácias humanas de cobaias ou de galinha e em pH 6,0 7,2 com hemácias de ganso. Esse agente não se mostrou patogênico ao camundongo recém-nascido e adulto, era sensível ao clorofórmio e não foi inibido pelo BuDR, o que indica conter o genoma RNA.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thanks the collaboration of Dr. Margueritte S. Pereira (in memorian), Mrs. Ivani Bisordi, Dr. Oscar de Souza Lopes, Dr. Paulo P. Joazeiro, the photography section and cell culture section personnel.

Recebido para publicação em 15/09/1989.

1. ASSAD, F.; GISPEN, R.; KLEEMOLA, M.; SYRUCEK, L. & ESTEVES, K. Neurological diseases associated with viral and Mycoplasma pneumoniase infections. Bull. Wld. Hlth. Org., 58: 297-311, 1980.
2. BEGHI, E.; NICOLOSI, A.; KURLAND, L.T.; MULDER, D.W.; HAUSER, W.A. & SHUSTER, L. Encephalitis and aseptic meningitis, Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1950 1981. I. Epidemiology. Ann. Neurol., 16: 283-294, 1984.
3. BERGE, T.O. International catalogue of Arboviruses. CDC Publication, 75-8301. Washington, DC, US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1975.
4. CHRISTIE, A.B. Lymphocytic meningitis (aseptic meningitis; viral meningitis; (linfocytic choriomeningitis) In: CHRISTIE, A.B. Infectious diseases: epidemiology and clinical practice. 4th. ed. Edinburg, Churchill Livingstone, 1987. p. 810-816.
5. CLARKE, D.H. & CASALS, T. Arboviruses, group B. In: HORSFALL, F.L. & TAMM, I., eds. Viral and rickettsial infection of man. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott, 1965. p. 606.
6. DAGAN, R. JENISTA, J.A. & MENEZES, M.A. Association of clinical presentation laboratory findings, and virus sorotypes with the presence of meningitis in hospitalized infants with enterovirus infection. J. Pediat., 113: 975-978, 1988.
7. KENNEDY, C.R.; CHZANOWSKA, K.; ROBINSON, R.O.; TYRRELL, D.A.J.; VALMAN, H.B. & WEBSTER, A.D.B. A major role for virus in acute childhood encephalopathy. Lancet, 1: 989-990, 1986.
8. KINNUNEN, E.; HOVI, T.; HELLSTROM, O.; PORRAS, J.; KLEEMOLA, M. & KANTANEN, M.L. Localized outbreak of enteroviral meningitis and adults. Acta. Neurol. Scand. 75: 346-351, 1987.
9. KOSKIMIEMI, M.-L. & VALERI, A. Acute encephalitis of viral origin. Scand. J. infect. Dis., 14: 181-187, 1982.
10. LENNETTE, E.H. & SCHMIDT, N.J., ed. Diagnostic procedures in virus and rickettsial infection. New York, American Public Health Association. 1979.
11. LOPES, O.S.; COIMBRA, T.L.M.; SACCHETA, L.A. & CALISHER, C.H. Emergence of a new arbovirus disease in Brasil. I. Isolation and characterization of the etiologic agent, Rociovirus. Amer. J. Epidem., 107: 444-449, 1978.
12. MARSH, R.F.; DEES, B.E.; CASTLE WADE, W.F. & GERMAN, T.L. Purification of the scrapie agent by density gradient centrifugation. J. gen. Virol., 65: 415-421, 1984.
13. MELNICK, J.L.; WANG, S.-S.; SEIDEL, E.; MUCHINIK, G.; ZHSNG, L.-B. & LANFORD, R.C. Characterization of IM virus, which is frequently isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis and other chronic diseases of the central nervous system. J. Virol., 52: 739-744, 1984.
14. PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY SERVICE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE CENTRE. Virus meningitis and encephalitis 1978-82. Brit. med. J., 290: 921-922, 1985.
15. TYRRELL, D.A.J.; PARRY, R.P.; CROW, T.J.; JOHNSTONE, E. & FERRIER, I.N. Possible virus in schizophrenia and some neurological disorders. Lancet, 1: 839-841, 1979.

Address for correspondence:

Sueko Takimoto, PhD

Seção de Vírus Respiratórios, Instituto Adolfo Lutz

Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 355

01246 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

(1

) Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brasil.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
13 Sept 2006
Date of issue
June 1990

History

Received
15 Sept 1989

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] 1. ASSAD, F.; GISPEN, R.; KLEEMOLA, M.; SYRUCEK, L. & ESTEVES, K. Neurological diseases associated with viral and Mycoplasma pneumoniase infections. Bull. Wld. Hlth. Org., 58: 297-311, 1980.

[2] 2. BEGHI, E.; NICOLOSI, A.; KURLAND, L.T.; MULDER, D.W.; HAUSER, W.A. & SHUSTER, L. Encephalitis and aseptic meningitis, Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1950 1981. I. Epidemiology. Ann. Neurol., 16: 283-294, 1984.

[3] 3. BERGE, T.O. International catalogue of Arboviruses. CDC Publication, 75-8301. Washington, DC, US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1975.

[4] 4. CHRISTIE, A.B. Lymphocytic meningitis (aseptic meningitis; viral meningitis; (linfocytic choriomeningitis) In: CHRISTIE, A.B. Infectious diseases: epidemiology and clinical practice. 4th. ed. Edinburg, Churchill Livingstone, 1987. p. 810-816.

[5] 5. CLARKE, D.H. & CASALS, T. Arboviruses, group B. In: HORSFALL, F.L. & TAMM, I., eds. Viral and rickettsial infection of man. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott, 1965. p. 606.

[6] 6. DAGAN, R. JENISTA, J.A. & MENEZES, M.A. Association of clinical presentation laboratory findings, and virus sorotypes with the presence of meningitis in hospitalized infants with enterovirus infection. J. Pediat., 113: 975-978, 1988.

[7] 7. KENNEDY, C.R.; CHZANOWSKA, K.; ROBINSON, R.O.; TYRRELL, D.A.J.; VALMAN, H.B. & WEBSTER, A.D.B. A major role for virus in acute childhood encephalopathy. Lancet, 1: 989-990, 1986.

[8] 8. KINNUNEN, E.; HOVI, T.; HELLSTROM, O.; PORRAS, J.; KLEEMOLA, M. & KANTANEN, M.L. Localized outbreak of enteroviral meningitis and adults. Acta. Neurol. Scand. 75: 346-351, 1987.

[9] 9. KOSKIMIEMI, M.-L. & VALERI, A. Acute encephalitis of viral origin. Scand. J. infect. Dis., 14: 181-187, 1982.

[10] 10. LENNETTE, E.H. & SCHMIDT, N.J., ed. Diagnostic procedures in virus and rickettsial infection. New York, American Public Health Association. 1979.

[11] 11. LOPES, O.S.; COIMBRA, T.L.M.; SACCHETA, L.A. & CALISHER, C.H. Emergence of a new arbovirus disease in Brasil. I. Isolation and characterization of the etiologic agent, Rociovirus. Amer. J. Epidem., 107: 444-449, 1978.

[12] 12. MARSH, R.F.; DEES, B.E.; CASTLE WADE, W.F. & GERMAN, T.L. Purification of the scrapie agent by density gradient centrifugation. J. gen. Virol., 65: 415-421, 1984.

[13] 13. MELNICK, J.L.; WANG, S.-S.; SEIDEL, E.; MUCHINIK, G.; ZHSNG, L.-B. & LANFORD, R.C. Characterization of IM virus, which is frequently isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis and other chronic diseases of the central nervous system. J. Virol., 52: 739-744, 1984.

[14] 14. PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY SERVICE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE CENTRE. Virus meningitis and encephalitis 1978-82. Brit. med. J., 290: 921-922, 1985.

[15] 15. TYRRELL, D.A.J.; PARRY, R.P.; CROW, T.J.; JOHNSTONE, E. & FERRIER, I.N. Possible virus in schizophrenia and some neurological disorders. Lancet, 1: 839-841, 1979.