Studies on neurovirulence in poliovirus-sensitive transgenic mice and cynomolgus monkeys for the different temperature-sensitive viruses derived from the Sabin type 3 virus.

We have studied methods for testing the neurovirulence of live poliovaccine viruses by intraspinal inoculation into mice carrying the human poliovirus receptor gene (Tg mice). A comparison of the neurovirulence of Sabin type 3 vaccine virus and related viruses using the 50% paralysis dose determined after intraspinal inoculation into the Tg mice as an index revealed a close correlation between the results of the paralysis dose in Tg mice, the neurovirulence expressed by the histopathological lesions core in monkeys, and the temperature sensitivity of the viruses. The results of experiments in the Tg mice also showed a good correlation with the number of mutations at position 472 from U to C in the 5' noncoding region in the genomes of the viruses tested. These results strongly suggest that the neurovirulence test for oral poliomyelitis vaccine using the Tg mice is an excellent method and may be used in place of the test using monkeys.