Mouse Hepatitis Virus Type-2 Infection in Mice: An Experimental Model System of Acute Meningitis and Hepatitis

• Published in: Experimental and molecular pathology Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Sarma, Jayasri Das, Fu, Li, Hingley, Susan T., Lavi, Ehud
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01-08-2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - pathology; Brain - virology; Cell Fusion; Cell Line; Coronavirus Infections - pathology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Disease Models, Animal; Experimental viral diseases and models; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal - pathology; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal - virology; Infectious diseases; Liver - pathology; Liver - virology; Medical sciences; Meningitis, Viral - pathology; Meningitis, Viral - virology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Murine hepatitis virus - genetics; Murine hepatitis virus - isolation & purification; Murine hepatitis virus - pathogenicity; Neuroglia - virology; Spinal Cord - pathology; Spinal Cord - virology; Thymus Gland - pathology; Thymus Gland - virology; Viral diseases; Virulence; Immunohistochemistry; Animal model; Acute; Rodentia; Hepatic disease; Murine hepatitis virus; Infection; Virus; Pathology; Vertebrata; Viral hepatitis; Experimental disease; Coronavirus; Mammalia; Mouse; Viral disease; Animal; Digestive diseases; Meningitis; Coronaviridae; Molecular biology; Sequencing; Nidovirales
• ISSN: 0014-4800; 1096-0945
• DOI: 10.1006/exmp.2001.2378

Infection with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strain A59 produces acute hepatitis, encephalitis, and chronic demyelination in mice. However, little is known about a closely related strain, MHV-2, which is only weakly neurotropic. To better understand the molecular basis of neurotropism of MHVs, we compared the pathogenesis and genomic sequence of MHV-2 with that of MHV-A59. Intracerebral injection of MHV-2 into 4-week-old C57B1/6 mice produces acute meningitis and hepatitis without encephalitis or chronic inflammatory demyelination. Sequence comparison between MHV-2 and MHV-A59 reveals 94–98% sequence identity of the replicase gene, 83–95% sequence identity of genes 2a, 3, 5b, 6, and 7, and marked difference in the sequence of genes, 2b, 4, and 5a. This information provides the basis for further studies exploring the mechanism of viral neurotropism and virus-induced demyelination.