A mouse model of a new polio-like paralytic illness associated with enterovirus infection

What is it about?

We showed that enteroviruses belonging to the EV-D68 group can produce a disease in mice resembling polio- several EV D68 strains when injected intramuscularly in mice can reach and infect motor neurons in the spinal cord causing paralysis in the mice. Spinal cord infection was documented by showing viral nucleic acid (RT-PCR), viral antigen (immunohistochemistry), enterovirus-like particles (electron microscopy) etc. Infectious virus was recovered from spinal cord and viral titers increased progressively preceding peak of paralysis.

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Why is it important?

We saw upsurges in human cases of "acute flaccid myelitis" in 2014 and 2016 nationally in the U.S.- linked dramatically in 2014 with massive respiratory illness outbreaks associated with EV-D68. This virus was usually thought of as non-neurotropic- so this helps establish the plausibility that it can indeed be neurotropic and can produce polio-like symptoms.