Japanese encephalitis virus latency following congenital infection in mice.

Latent Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection was shown in inapparently congenitally infected Swiss albino mice after their mothers had been given JEV intraperitoneally during pregnancy. Only one of 37 (2.7%) of the baby mice showed persistence of infectious virus at 5 weeks of age. Reactivation of JEV in Swiss albino mice was demonstrated by stimulation with allogeneic spleen cells from Parks strain mice at 21 weeks of age; reactivation was demonstrated in 41% of the inapparently infected mice. The spleen cells of congenitally infected mice had depressed [3H]thymidine uptake following stimulation with concanavalin A, and depressed ability to induce a graft-versus-host response.