Not available

Results:

Examination of the nasal epithelium and lungs of rats revealed that members of all groups (pre-flight controls, flight, simulation controls, and vivarium controls) manifested varying degrees of a patchy pneumonitis. Microscopically the lesions were consistent with those known to be caused by a virus infection; therefore attempts were made to determine a most probably etiological agent by means of retrospective electron microscopy and histoimmunofluorescence or histoimmunochemistry. The significance of these findings for interpretation of the results of other investigators studying these animals will be discussed. Further, these results will be compared with the studies conducted on the respiratory systems of pocket mice that flew on Apollo XVII and of rats that flew on Cosmos 1129, in both of which diverse respiratory virus infections were shown to have been present during flight. The use of "defined flora" rather than "SPF" animals with the aim of reducing to a minimum the possibility of similar occurrences on future spaceflights involving rodents will also be discussed.