GABA metabolism in Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus infection.

Mice infected with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus showed a significant decrease in the GABA content of cerebral hemispheres. Activity of the enzyme which synthetizes GABA, glutamate decarboxylase, is also reduced in whole cerebral hemispheres, neostriatum, and frontal cortex of infected animals, as compared to values obtained from the same regions of control mice. No significant difference was demonstrated in the activities of GABA transaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and NAD-malate dehydrogenase in any of the regions studied. The results suggest that the viral infection produced an alteration in the mechanism of GABA synthesis.