Theiler's encephalomyelitis virus Theiler's encephalomyelitis virus Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV) is a single-stranded RNA murine cardiovirus from the family "Picornaviridae". It has been used as a mouse model for studying virally induced paralysis, as well as encephalomyelitis comparable to Multiple sclerosis. Depending on the mouse and viral strain, viral pathogenesis can range from negligible, to chronic or acute encephalomyelitis. The virus was discovered by virologist Max Theiler in 1937 while working at the Rockefeller Institute. Theiler discovered the encephalomyelitis virus during research on poliovirus-like paralysis symptoms in mice. That year Theiler had completed work on developing a vaccine for Yellow Fever, for
Arnold Theiler sickness with a combination of live virus and equine antiserum. This disease is now known to be caused by a pegivirus. Theiler was the first Director of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, outside Pretoria. This institute under his leadership carried out research on African horse sickness, sleeping sickness, malaria, East Coast fever ("Theileria parva") and tick-borne diseases such as redwater, heartwater and biliary. The University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science was established there in 1920 which enabled veterinarians to train locally for the first time. Theiler became the first dean of this faculty. He married Emma Sophie Jegge (1861–1951)