HYDROCEPHALUS AS A SEQUELA OF EXPERIMENTAL MYXOVIRUS INFECTIONS

Suckling hamsters and mice were inoculated intracerebrally with several human myxoviruses. Mumps virus and parainfluenza-2 (croup-associated) virus were shown to infect ependymal cells in hamsters; this acute infection did not cause clinically apparent disease but resulted in the loss of ependymal cells. Influenza-A virus caused infection of ependymal cells in both hamsters and mice in which antigen developed, but no infectious virus multiplication was found; nevertheless, similar ependymal cell loss ensued. Following this selective destruction of the ependymal cell population by either mechanism, narrowing of the aqueduct of Sylvius evolved in most animals resulting in the development of severe hydrocephalus. The noninflammatory aqueductal stenosis showed several histological similarities to human aqueductal stenosis of obscure etiology. The possibility of acute infections causing noninflammatory yet progressive sequelae is discussed. © 1969.