Viral tropisms in mouse brain cell cultures.

Fourteen-day-old cultures of dissociated newborn mouse brain cells were infected separately with different strains of vaccinia virus and a strain of measles virus. Using the indirect immunofluorescence technique we found that under the experimental conditions in these cultures both measles and the neurotropic strain of vaccinia infected oligodendrocytes whereas the dermatropic strain of vaccinia did not. Astrocytes were neither infected by vaccinia strains nor by measles virus.