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We used in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry to look for a correlation between virus expression and white matter lesions during late demyelinating disease due to persistent Theiler's virus infection. We found the following. (i) Tissue lesions developed at the site of virus infection. This correlation was not explained by infection of lymphocytes and macrophages. (ii) Large differences in the extent of pathology existed between mice. The amount of inflammation paralleled the number of cells containing viral RNA or viral capsid antigens. (iii) C57BL/6 mice, which are resistant to demyelination, were able to eradicate the infection. Our results are strongly in favor of a mechanism of demyelination in which viral gene products play a central role.

Theiler's virus causes a persistent demyelinating infection of the mouse central nervous system. Our study of the molecular mechanism of persistence led us to sequence 1925 nucleotides located at the 3' end of the viral genome. We observed extensive homologies between this region and the corresponding region of encephalomyocarditis virus, the prototype cardiovirus, and only some homologies with the 3' ends of foot-and-mouth disease virus, rhinovirus, and poliovirus genomes.