Distribution of inflammatory cells in the gray matter versus white matter in DM- and NDM-infected mouse spinal cord during acute infection. Serial cross sections (5 m thick) from DM- and NDM-infected mouse spinal cords at day 7 p.i. were stained with H & E (a, b), LCA (c, d), or CD11b (e, f). Several inflammatory lesions (a) with infiltrating LCA+ cells (c) were observed in -infected mouse spinal cord (arrows indicate lesion areas in white matter). The majority of the LCA+ inflammatory cells in the inflammatory plaques were positive for the microglia/macrophage marker CD11b (e). CD11b+ cells in DM-infected mice are predominantly in the white matter. In NDM-infected mice no discrete inflammatory lesions were observed (b); however LCA+ cells were observed (d) scattered throughout the gray matter. These cells were also strongly immunoreactive for CD11b (f). Most of the LCA/CD11b immunoreactive cells were restricted to gray matter with very little invasion of white matter. Serial cross sections (5 m thick) from DM- or NDM-infected mouse spinal cords at day 30 p.i. were stained with LFB (g, h) or LCA (i, j). Large demyelinating lesions (g) with infiltrating LCA+ cells (i) were observed in DM-infected mouse spinal cord white matter (arrows indicate lesion area) whereas normal myelin (h) was observed in NDM-infected mouse spinal cord with only rare scattered LCA+ cells in the gray matter (j). Original magnification for (a–j) is 40x. (adapted from the work of [73]).
