Experimental infection of Tupaia belangeri (tree shrews) with herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2

Abstract

The susceptibility of Tupaia belangeri (tree shrews, which are primitive prosimian primates) to infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) and the pathogenesis of HSV in these animals were investigated. Juvenile (28--45 days old) and adult (150 days old) animals were inoculated intravenously, intraperitoneally, or subcutaneously with HSV type 1 or 2 (25--10(5) plaque-forming units per animal). Clinical illness usually appeared in juvenile animals on the second day after inoculation, and the animals died between two and 14 days after inoculation. High titers of infectious HSV were recovered from liver and spleen. The histopathologic examination always showed severe liver changes with numerous necrotic areas. The morphologic events in the liver were designated as herpetic hepatitis. The next most common morphologic findings were encephalitis and fibrosis in the spleen. These results demonstrate the high pathogenicity of HSV types 1 and 2 in juvenile T. belangeri. In contrast, adult animals did not develop acute clinical disease and survived the HSV infection.