Walker D H, Wulff H, Lange J V, Murphy F A
Bull World Health Organ. 1975;52(4-6):523-34.
Experimental Lassa virus infections of squirrel monkeys, guinea-pigs, and the African multimammate rat, Mastomys natalensis, were studied virologically and pathologically. In the monkeys, early viral lymphoreticulotropism, hepatotropism, nephrotropism, and viraemia were noted. At the time of death, viral titres in nearly all target organs were associated with necrotic changes: splenic lymphoid necrosis, renal tubular necrosis, myocarditis, arteritis, and hepatocytic regeneration. In convalescent monkeys, organ titres diminished slowly, and viraemia persisted at 28 days. At this time, renal and splenic regeneration was occurring and a new lesion, choriomeningitis, was present.Guinea-pigs infected with Lassa virus developed respiratory insufficiency with pulmonary oedema, alveolar hyaline membranes, myocarditis, and focal calcification of myocardial fibres and hepatocytes. Dying animals contained Lassa virus in virtually every organ tested, whereas survivors at 56 days were free of virus and had high complement-fixing antibody titres.Infection of neonatal Mastomys did not cause any clinical disease or pathological lesions despite the presence of virus in the blood, lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, brain, urine, and throat secretions throughout the 74-day study. Infected adult Mastomys also remained normal but had virus in many organs. In one animal, virus persisted until the termination of the study at 103 days. Several animals developed a mild meningoencephalitis. The pattern of infection and virus shedding in M. natalensis is ideal for maintenance of the virus in nature; together with the epidemiological field data this emphasizes the incidental nature of the exposure and infection of man.
对松鼠猴、豚鼠和非洲多乳鼠（南非多乳鼠）进行拉沙病毒实验性感染，并从病毒学和病理学方面进行了研究。在猴子身上，观察到早期病毒对淋巴组织、肝脏、肾脏的嗜性以及病毒血症。死亡时，几乎所有靶器官中的病毒滴度都与坏死性变化相关：脾脏淋巴组织坏死、肾小管坏死、心肌炎、动脉炎和肝细胞再生。在恢复期的猴子中，器官中的病毒滴度缓慢下降，病毒血症在28天时仍持续存在。此时，肾脏和脾脏正在再生，并且出现了一种新的病变——脉络丛脑膜炎。感染拉沙病毒的豚鼠出现呼吸功能不全，伴有肺水肿、肺泡透明膜、心肌炎以及心肌纤维和肝细胞的局灶性钙化。濒死动物几乎每个检测的器官中都含有拉沙病毒，而56天时的存活动物体内没有病毒，且补体结合抗体滴度很高。尽管在为期74天的研究中，新生南非多乳鼠的血液、淋巴结、肝脏、脾脏、肺、脑、尿液和咽喉分泌物中都存在病毒，但感染并未导致任何临床疾病或病理损伤。感染的成年南非多乳鼠也保持正常，但许多器官中都有病毒。在一只动物中，病毒一直持续到103天研究结束。几只动物出现了轻度脑膜脑炎。南非多乳鼠的感染和病毒排出模式是该病毒在自然界中维持生存的理想模式；结合流行病学现场数据，这突出了人类接触和感染的偶然性。
