汉坦病毒M RNA在隐性感染大鼠组织中的分布(论著)

A study of hantavirus M RNA distribution in latently infected laboratory rats

目的：了解汉坦病毒ＭＲＮＡ在隐性感染大鼠各组织中的定位与分布情况。方法：以地高辛标记的汉坦病毒的ＭＲＮＡｃＤＮＡ为探针，与隐性感染大鼠的多种内脏组织进行原位分子杂交。结果：病毒ＭＲＮＡ主要分布在感染大鼠的肝脏，定位于受染细胞的胞浆，这与在死于流行性出血热的患者尸检组织中的分布有所不同。结论：（１）肝脏是鼠类最易受汉坦病毒侵犯与寄生的器官；（２）汉坦病毒感染大鼠与人的机理有所不同，这很可能是大鼠感染汉坦病毒后不发病的原因之一。

Aim:Hantavirus causes a very severe disease recognized as epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in human being,but it only leads to asymptomatic infection in rodents.This study was made to examine the characters of the virus M RNA location and distribution in latently infected rats and to further observe the differences betweem the virus RNA distribution patterns in infected rats and in EHF patient autopsy tissues.Methods:Laboratory rats were infected with Chen strain hantavirus,and various tissues of the infected rats were examined by molecular hybridization in situ using hantavirus specific cDNA probe labeled with digoxin.Results:The virus M RNA was detected with the highest positive rate in liver tissues of the infected rats and was mainly located in cytoplasm of the infected cells.Positive hybridization signals were displayed in granular staining and were always found in hepatocytes,renal tubular cells,alveolar epithelial cells and myocardial cells.In all detected tissues,macrophages and endothelial cells of capillaries and small blood vessels generally showed positive hybridization.The RNA distribution pattern in infected rat tissues wase different from that in EHF patient autopsy tissues and the RNA positive rates in rat tissues were generally lower than in patient homologues.Conclusion:The results suggested that liver was the main organ in rodents for hantavirus to attack and harbour.This may be the pathological basis for hantavirus to be excreted out to the environment from the rodent bodies.We conclude that the infection mechanisms of hantavirus in human and rat are quite different,and this might be a reason of asymptomatic infection with hantavirus in rats.