Immunopathology of Mouse Hepatitis Virus Type 3 Infection

Abstract

Normal adult A strain mice are resistant to MHV3 infection. A strain mice immunosuppressed by 600 rads of x-irradiation or by anti-lymphocyte serum treatment became susceptible to the virus and died with specific lesions of the liver and high virus titers. However, mice immunized with MHV3 before sublethal x-irradiation resisted a second injection of virus. Resistant adult (A × C3H) F1 hybrids undergoing graft-vs-host (GVH) reaction became highly susceptible to MHV3 injected 8 days after parental cell injection. Virus titer 3 days after injection was 2 logs higher in mice undergoing GVH than in controls. However F1 hybrid mice resisted virus challenge when the first injection of virus was given 2 weeks before GVH induction. In addition, thymectomy also modified the behavior of resistant animals toward virus infection. It appears, therefore, that cell-mediated immune functions play an important role in resistance of mice to MHV3.

Mouse Hepatitis Virus Infection, Liver, Mouse

“…Host genotypeis a significant factor in resistance and seems to be mediated through a number of mechanisms (Bang 1978;Hirano et al 1975;Taguchi et al 1976Taguchi et al , 1979Piazza 1969). Lymphoreticular function is also an important factor (Bang 1978;Dupuy et al 1975;Levy-Leblond and Dupuy 1977;Taguchi et al 1979;Tardieu et al 1980). Neonatal mice have immature Iymphoreticular function and are thus highly susceptible to infection, usually dying of hepatitis or encephalitis.…”