Latent infection and measles meningoencephalitis in Syrian hamsters.

A strain designated 42-Edmonston was isolated from the brain of a Syrian hamster 30 days after inoculation during the neonatal period with the reference "wild" measles virus strain Edmonston which produced a latent infection accompanied by production of measles antibody and insignificant pathomorphological changes. Intracerebral inoculation with the 42-Edmonston strain of newborn, one day-and 5-7-day-old Syrian hamsters resulted in the development of acute measles encephalitis with typical clinical symptoms and pathomorphological changes. It is suggested that selection and adaptation of a neurotropic measles virus variant probably had occurred in the course of virus persistence in the Syrian hamster brain.