Impairment in Auditory and Visual Function Follows Perinatal Viral Infection in the Rat

Acoustic startle reflexes are elicited by intense tone bursts but inhibited if weak bursts precede reflex elicitation. Rats were infected by intracerebral inoculation with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) at birth. Compared to control animals, infected animals had higher elicitation and inhibition thresholds and showed recruitment at intense stimulus levels. Histopathology revealed both cochlear and retinal degeneration. Like some infectious agents in humans, perinatal exposure to LCMV in the rat yields a severe polysensory neuropathy.