This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Riviere, Y Articles by Oldstone, M B Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Riviere, Y Articles by Oldstone, M B

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Virol. 1985 September; 55(3): 704-709

Genetic mapping of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus pathogenicity: virulence in guinea pigs is associated with the L RNA segment.

ABSTRACT

The Armstrong CA 1371 (ARM) and WE strains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) differ in the ability to produce disease in adult guinea pigs. Infection with the ARM strain is not lethal, even at high virus doses (greater than 10,000 PFU), whereas the WE strain causes 100% mortality even at low doses (less than 10 PFU). To determine the genetic basis of this virulence, intertypic reassortants were made between the ARM and WE strains of LCMV. The two reassortants with the genotypes WE/ARM (L segment of WE and S segment of ARM) and ARM/WE (L segment of ARM and S segment of WE) were tested for their pathogenicity in guinea pigs. The ARM/WE reassortant was avirulent like the ARM/ARM parental strain. Minimal viral replication was observed in organs of guinea pigs inoculated with 10(2) or 10(5) PFU of ARM/ARM or ARM/WE, and all animals survived. In contrast, the WE/ARM reassortant was highly virulent like the WE/WE parental strain and killed all of the infected animals. High levels of viral replication were observed in guinea pigs infected with the latter two strains. In contrast to these in vivo observations, both the parental strains and the ARM/WE or WE/ARM reassortants had similar growth potential in cultured guinea pig fibroblasts. Thus, the L RNA segment of LCMV WE is important for viral replication in vivo and is associated with fatal acute disease after infection of adult guinea pigs.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Chen, M., Lan, S., Ou, R., Price, G. E., Jiang, H., de la Torre, J. C., Moskophidis, D. (2008). Genomic and biological characterization of aggressive and docile strains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus rescued from a plasmid-based reverse-genetics system. J. Gen. Virol. 89: 1421-1433 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bergthaler, A., Merkler, D., Horvath, E., Bestmann, L., Pinschewer, D. D. (2007). Contributions of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus glycoprotein and polymerase to strain-specific differences in murine liver pathogenicity. J. Gen. Virol. 88: 592-603 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lukashevich, I. S., Patterson, J., Carrion, R., Moshkoff, D., Ticer, A., Zapata, J., Brasky, K., Geiger, R., Hubbard, G. B., Bryant, J., Salvato, M. S. (2005). A Live Attenuated Vaccine for Lassa Fever Made by Reassortment of Lassa and Mopeia Viruses. J. Virol. 79: 13934-13942 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Djavani, M., Topisirovic, I., Zapata, J. C., Sadowska, M., Yang, Y., Rodas, J., Lukashevich, I. S., Bogue, C. W., Pauza, C. D., Borden, K. L. B., Salvato, M. S. (2005). The Proline-Rich Homeodomain (PRH/HEX) Protein Is Down-Regulated in Liver during Infection with Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus. J. Virol. 79: 2461-2473 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bocharov, G., Ludewig, B., Bertoletti, A., Klenerman, P., Junt, T., Krebs, P., Luzyanina, T., Fraser, C., Anderson, R. M. (2004). Underwhelming the Immune Response: Effect of Slow Virus Growth on CD8+-T-Lymphocyte Responses. J. Virol. 78: 2247-2254 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lukashevich, I. S., Tikhonov, I., Rodas, J. D., Zapata, J. C., Yang, Y., Djavani, M., Salvato, M. S. (2003). Arenavirus-Mediated Liver Pathology: Acute Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection of Rhesus Macaques Is Characterized by High-Level Interleukin-6 Expression and Hepatocyte Proliferation. J. Virol. 77: 1727-1737 [Abstract] [Full Text]