An Adenovirus Isolated from the Feces of Mice

Abstract

Cytopathogenic agents have been isolated in a search for viruses in the feces of apparently healthy mice (an inbred strain DK1) by using mouse kidney tissue culture. This report is concerned with the identification of strain K87, one of our isolates, as an adenovirus. Strain K87 was cytopathogenic to mouse kidney tissue culture but not to monkey kidney tissue culture, FL, and HeLa cells. The K87 strain was not able to grow in bacterial media and was resistant to penicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline. 5‐Bromodeoxyuridine inhibited the occurrence of the cytopathogenic effect and virus replication in infected cells and the inhibitory effect was reversed by thymidine, suggesting that the virus contains DNA. Strain K87 was resistant to ethyl‐ether but did not have the property of cationic stabilization to thermal inactivation. Electronmicroscopic observations of thin‐sections of the K87‐infected cells showed virus particles in crystalline array in the nuclei. Each virus particle was an icosahedron of about 75 mμ in diameter composed of 252 capsomeres, and without an envelope. By the complement fixation test, K87 was related serologically to a human adenovirus. All the facts indicate that strain K87 belongs to the adenovirus group. The problem whether strain K87 may be a new mouse adenovirus with pathogenicity and antigenicity different from that of a mouse adenovirus previously reported by Hartley and Rowe is discussed.

An Adenovirus Isolated from the Feces of Mice

“…Prior to studying the experimental infection of DK1 mice [20], maintained in our laboratory, with a mouse adenovirus strain K87, which had been isolated and identified by us [9], the feces of these mice were examined for the presence of agents cytopathogenic for mouse kidney tissue culture. It was fortunate that very few agents were found and that these agents would not interfere with the study of an experimental adenovirus infection.…”

“…Briefly, a pregnant mouse, 2 to 4 days before the expected date of delivery, was anesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of 0.25 to 0.3 ml of 10 times diluted Nembutal Sodium (50 mg/ml, Abbott Lab., U.S.A.). The abdomen was opened and each fetus inoculated intraperitoneally through the uterine wall with about 0.02 ml of virus To measure neutralizing antibody titer of sera against strain K87, 0.3 ml of fourfold serial dilutions of inactivated (56 C, 30 min) serum were each mixed with 0.3 ml of virus suspension containing 100TCD50/ 0.1 ml (titer read after 10 days), and added to 2.4 ml maintenance medium (MM) [9]. The mixture was incubated for 3 hr at 37 C, stored overnight at 4 C, and 1 ml of the mixture was then introduced into each of two tissue culture tubes.…”

“…An adenovirus, strain K87 [9], isolated from the feces of mice was used throughout the study. The virus stocks used were prepared after 3 to 6 passages through mouse kidney tissue cultures, and consisted of either supernatant fluids of cultures obtained after freezing and thawing 2 times or virus suspensions concentrated by centrifugation (17,000 to 20,000 rpm for 30 min, Spinco Model L, Rotor No.…”

“…In a previous paper [9] it was reported that many cytopathogenic agents had been isolated in a search for viruses in the feces of an apparently healthy inbred strain of DK1 mice using mouse kidney tissue culture, and that one of these isolates, strain K87, was identified as an adenovirus. This report is concerned with basic data obtained from experimental infections of inbred strain of white mice with this mouse adenovirus, strain K87.…”

Intestinal Resistance in the Experimental Enteric Infection of Mice with a Mouse Adenovirus

“…Primary cultures of the kidneys of 4-weekold DKl mice were used. Details were already described [5].…”