EN
Ectromelia virus (ECTV) is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family. It is a causative agent of mouse pox in genetically sensitive mice strains of H-2ᵈ (e.g. BALB/c) and H-2ᵃ (eg.A, A/J) haplotypes. Mouse pox virus is a well recognized model for studying generalized viral infections in natural hosts. The aim of this study was to determine the role of heat shock proteins (namely hsp90, hsp70 and hsp2) during the replication of the Moscow strain of ECTV (ECTV-MOS) in BALB/c mice. The internal organs of mice are important sites for primary virus replication whereas ECTV penetration into the brain may seriously influence mechanisms supervising immune and nervous systems cooperation. Based on studies carried out in BALB/c mice infected with ECTV-MOS, it was found that the hsp (hsp90, hsp70 and hsp27) expression in brain cells reach peak values during the incubation period and clinical manifestation of mouse pox but the relative numbers of hsp⁺ cells in the brains decreased during the recrudescence of the infection to values observed in the control mice. The high expression of hsp (hsp90, hsp70 and hsp27) on oligodendrocytes in BALB/c mice during the incubation and clinical periods may reflect the protective action of heat shock proteins within the brain.