ABSTRACT
Objective To confirm that astrocytes from cerebral cortex of newborn rat can be the target cells of Hantaan virus (HTNV)and Seoul virus (SEOV)infection and to observe changes of astrocytes after different infection time. Methods Astrocytes were prepared from cerebral cortex of newborn rat, and then infected with HTNV and SEOV. The established virus infections were confirmed by detection of virus nucleocapsid protein (NP) and S segment RNA in astrocytes using double-label immunofluoreseence, Western-blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results The astrocytes from cerebral cortex of newborn rat were cultured successfully in vitro, which could be infected by HTNV and SEOV. The number of infected astrocytes and the virus titer in the infected astrocytes kept on increasing along with the extended infection duration. Conclusions Astrocytes from cerebral cortex of newborn rat are the target cells for HTNV and SEOV infection. Then establishment of in vitro cultured astrocytes model for Hantaviruses infection will be helpful for the study on the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.