The number and distribution of the retinal ganglion cells in the 2 years old Korean native cattle was determined from whole flat mounted preparation stained with methylene blue and thionin. The total number of retinal ganglion cells was estimated to be 3,085,200 in the bovine retina ranging from 2.214mm** (2) in total area. Visual streak was recognized at the area 2.5mm superior to the optic disc and ganglion cell density drops off rapidly to the direction superior to and inferior to the visual streak. Area centralis (6,800 cells/mm** (2)) was located at the area 10mm temporally from the point of 3mm superior to the optic disc. The number of alpha-type ganglion cells (above 15 micro) was 57,000 in the bovine retina and alpha-type ganglion cells constituted 18.5 % of the total cells. The relative frequency of alpha-type ganglion cells was higher in the peripheral regions than in the visual streak, especially higher in the superior-temporal quadrant than in other region of the bovine retina.

Rabies virus (RV) is highly neurotropic and migrates to the neuronal soma by retrograde axonal transport from nerve terminals, after which it is taken by anterograde axonal transport to be finally released into the central nervous system (CNS) from which it disseminates, resulting in lethal encephalitis. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are crucial in the initial events of the infection by RV since they can act as a gate for the viral entrance into the CNS. In the present study, we examined cell tropism of RV and the roles of neuronal cytoskeletal components in the production of viral nucleoprotein (N protein) using cultured nerve cells and non-neuronal cells from DRG of newborn mice. Our in vitro study demonstrated a low propagation rate of RV in nerve cells, susceptibility of non-neuronal cells to RV, and independence of cytoplasmic synthesis of viral N protein from the neuronal cytoskeleton. The present study also suggests that Schwann cells should be considered as another possible candidate supporting RV propagation.