Abstract

During a recent outbreak of Lassa fever in Sierre Leone, a 20-year-old woman developed an acute febrile disease with tonsillar exudates and hemorrhagic manifestations. Lassa virus was isolated in cell cultures from pharyngeal secretions and pleural fluid and was identified by complement fixation. Typical arenavirus particles were observed in these infected cell cultures. In a liver biopsy specimen, diffuse hepatocellular damage and focal necroses were evident, with a spectrum of liver cell change, ranging from slight vacuolizaiton to frank lysis. Virus was frequently observed in nearby extracellular spaces and was clearly associated with hepatocytes rather than sinusoidal cells. The demonstration for the first time of Lassa virus particules in human tissue provides direct evidence that the virus is responsible for the observed pathologic changes.

Authors

Winn WC, Monath TP, Murphy FA, Whitfield SG

Source

Archives of pathology 99:11 1975 Nov pg 599-604

MeSH

Disease Outbreaks
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Female
Hepatitis A
Humans
Inclusion Bodies, Viral
Lassa virus
Liver
Liver Glycogen
Mitochondria, Liver
Necrosis
Phagocytes
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
RNA Viruses
Sierra Leone

Pub Type(s)

Case Reports
Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

1227472