Evening star., 1940-04-05
House Mice Branded
Carriers Of Disease
Kin 10 Meningitis
Many Supposed Cases
Of Influenza May Be
Due to Some Virus
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

House mice are carriers Of a newly
discovered central nervous system
disease, similar to the dreaded spinal
meningitis. --...... ....
Many supposed cases of influenza
may be due to the same virus.
These findings were reported to
the American Academy of Pediatrics
meeting here today by DR.. Charles
Armstrong of the United States
Public Health Service.
The new disease was discovered
by DR.. Armstrong about five wears
ago. In Europe is now Is known as
Armstrong; disease. It resembles
meningitis in every respect, except
that it seldom proves fatal. The
meningococcus, microorganisni re-
sponslble for the often fatal inf1am-
nation of the Innings of the brain
and spinal cord, cannot be found in
the spinal fluid of persons with the
new malady..
Another Virus Is Found.
FAT the time of his discovery DR..
armstrong isolated a filterable virus
from the victims which proved fatal
quickly when injected into the
brains of mice Since then a differ
ent virus has been found which acts
IN similar way.
Persons with choriomeningitis, as
the new malady is called, are very
III. To DR.. Armstrong; surprise,
however, he found that the blood of
many persons showed immunity to
the virus, indicating that at some
time or other they had suffered from
the infection. But many of those
tested could not remember similar
symptoms. This was especially the
case with patients in insane asylums
and men in jail
The disease has appeared in West
ern Europe and North Africa and
about the same degree of immunity
IN the general populations has been
found. The infection does not pass
easily from person to person. There
is some doubt whether it does so
at all
Four Cases in District,
This winter, DR.. Armstrong re-
ported today, there were four un-
questioned cases in the District of
Columbia and one in Lancaster, Pa.
All were isolated from the others.
When mice trapped in the homes
OF the victims were examined, how
ever, they we're found to contain
the virus. When this was injected
into the brains of other mice
trapped in the same houses, there
was little effect. Such injection
quickly killed control mice with un-
mistakable choriomeningitis symp-
toms.
DR.. Armstrong then started on
housekeeping project in WASH
ington. Out of 400 captured in
houses, he found the active virus
in one out of five. Half the homes in
which the traps were set, it was
found, harbored infected mice. Nom
virus mice from the same houses
were found not susceptible to in
Jectlons OF the virus. while mice
from households in which there was
no infection quickly succumbed. Yet,
so far as could be ascertained, no
dead mice could be found in the
houses where the virus-carriers
were trapped.
Now, DR.. Armstrong pointed out,
some of the known human cases of
choriomeningitis have been pre-
ceded by what the physicians have
diagnosed as bad cases of influenza.
AS rule, the victims appeared to
have recovered when a second train
OF symptoms started with bad head
aches and fevers, vomiting. stiff
necks, sleepiness, disturbance of the
natural ref1exes, paralysis and parts
OF the body in which the sensation
Of pain could not be evoked. This
is clearly an involvement of the
nervous system.
Part of Same Syndr0me.
The new evidence, he said today,
points strongly to the fact that the
hu-llke symptoms and the nervous
system involvement are parts of the
same syndrome. But the human
nervous system is very difficult to
invade. In the majority of cases,
he believes it goes no further than
the "fu'-something quite different,
however, from true influenza. This