Twenty marmosets, male Callithrix jacchus, were used during this study. Fifteen of the marmosets were inoculated with 5,000 TCID50 of the attenuated XJC13 strain of Junin virus by intramuscular route and five were left as uninoculated controls. Animals were observed for a 420-day period. In order to carry out virologic, hematologic, serologic, and histologic studies the animals were bled and/or killed at different days post infection(pi). Results obtained showed that the attenuated strain produced an infection with no mortality or signs of illness. There was only a slight loss of weight at 18-40 days pi, which was soon recovered. Viremia was present from day 6 to 22, titers peaking at 4.0 log. Viral spread was limited to the lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow in the animal killed on day 14. No virus was found in the organs of the animal killed on day 23, and neither hematologic alterations nor pathologic lesions were seen in these monkeys except for ganglionar hypertrophy with immunoblast proliferation. Antigen was detected by immunofluorescence (IF) in lymph nodes, spleen, adrenals, lungs and brain. Neutralizing antibodies were detected from the third week onward. Protection conferred by the XJC13 strain proved effective when XJC13-inoculated monkeys were challenged with 1,000 TCID50 of the pathogenic XJ strain at days 60 or 380 pi, while normal controls died. When viral persistence was searched for on days 370, 390, and 420 pi, no infectious virus was detected, but viral antigen was seen in certain organs, which, however, lacked tissue damage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Serological survey for detecting subclinical infections with Junín virus, the etiological agent of Argentine hemorrhage fever, was carried out in a group of 107 individuals working in laboratories where this virus was handled. The group was divided into high risk and low risk personnel according to the degree of exposure to the virus. Neutralizing tests were performed in Vero cell cultures to detect circulating antibodies. Results were evaluated comparatively with those obtained in a previous survey. This study shows that among high risk personnel three out of 52 developed neutralizing antibodies (NA) against Junín virus; one of them had a mild clinical illness, and the other two showed no overt disease during this period. No one among the low risk group developed NA against Junín virus.

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