Persistence of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey RNA in convalescent hamsters.

Persistence of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey (VSV-NJ) was studied in experimentally infected hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). We used reverse transcription and nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-NPCR) to probe tissues of hamsters inoculated with VSV-NJ Hazelhurst. Viral genomic RNA was detected in the brain, cerebellum, spleen, liver, kidney, and lung 2 months after infection, but only in the central nervous system at 10 and 12 months. Viral messenger RNA was detected in the brain of one hamster at 2 months after infection. Replicative intermediate was detected in the spinal cord of one hamster at 12 months. These results suggest that VSV-RNA persists in animals for long periods following infection, disease, and convalescence. However, infectious virus was not recovered from tissues by conventional serial passages of tissue extracts in Vero cells or by cocultivation.