Experimental Distemper in the Gnotobiotic Dog

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Abstract
Distemper was produced experimentally in 12 gnotobiotic dogs with the Snyder Hill and Lederle strains of virus. Eight gnotobiotic dogs served as uninoculated controls. In the absence of other microorganisms, the only signs of disease were mild transient fever and leukopenia. The only macroscopic lesion was severe atrophy of the thymus. Microscopically all the lymphoid tissues underwent lymphoid depletion and reticular cell hyperplasia. Lesions appeared in the brain eight days after inoculation. The virus caused direct neuronal degeneration in the frontal cortex, only minimal lesions in the vicinity of the fourth ventricle and no demyelination. Infrequent inclusion bodies were found in neurons and in the reticular cells of the lymphoid tissues. No lesions were found in the lungs, stomach, urinary bladder, or skin.

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