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"Concerning poliovirus eradication, one should remember that it has been shown that this virus can establish persistent infections."

A decade ago it has been first observed that poliovirus establishes persistent infections in human cells of neuronal origin (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1989, 86, 7590). Moreover, during these persistent infections, mutant polioviruses are selected, and these mutants have acquired the capacity to establish persistent infections in other cell types. Indeed, very few mutations are sufficient to confer this new phenotype. This means that poliovirus excreted by an infected human being, or a virus stock in the laboratory, may contain such mutants because of the heterogeneous nature of the poliovirus genome.

Moreover, in a murine model, the evolution of paralytic poliomyelitis has been studied and it has been shown that poliovirus persists in the central nervous system of mice for at least 12 months after the onset of acute disease (J. Virol., 1997, 71, 1621).

Finally, the results of other groups have revealed the persistence of poliovirus sequences in the central nervous system of some post-polio patients (see: The post-polio syndrome; Advances in the pathogenesis and treatment, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 753).

One should also not forget a possible poliovirus maintenance in nature, in deep ice, where important human migrations have occurred."

Bruno Blondel, Florence Colbère-Garapin, Thérèse Couderc, Sophie Girard, Florence Guivel-Benhassine, Sébastien Jacques, Nicole Pavio, Isabelle Pelletier.

Unité de Neurovirologie
et Régénération du Système Nerveux
Institut Pasteur
28 Rue du Docteur Roux
75724 PARIS CEDEX 15
FRANCE

 

Last Modified November 23, 1998