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Journal of Virology, November 1999, p. 9544-9554, Vol. 73, No. 11
Department of Microbiology, School of
Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557
Received 17 May 1999/Accepted 22 July 1999
Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is thought to establish a persistent
infection in its natural reservoir, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), despite a strong host immune response. SNV-specific neutralizing antibodies were routinely detected in deer mice which maintained virus RNA in the blood and lungs. To determine whether viral
diversity played a role in SNV persistence and immune escape in deer
mice, we measured the prevalence of virus quasispecies in infected
rodents over time in a natural setting. Mark-recapture studies provided
serial blood samples from naturally infected deer mice, which were
sequentially analyzed for SNV diversity. Viral RNA was detected over a
period of months in these rodents in the presence of circulating
antibodies specific for SNV. Nucleotide and amino acid substitutions
were observed in viral clones from all time points analyzed, including
changes in the immunodominant domain of glycoprotein 1 and the 3' small
segment noncoding region of the genome. Viral RNA was also detected in
seven different organs of sacrificed deer mice. Analysis of
organ-specific viral clones revealed major disparities in the level of
viral diversity between organs, specifically between the spleen (high
diversity) and the lung and liver (low diversity). These results
demonstrate the ability of SNV to mutate and generate quasispecies in
vivo, which may have implications for viral persistence and possible escape from the host immune system.
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Sin Nombre Virus
Quasispecies in Naturally Infected Rodents
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557. Phone: (775) 784-4123. Fax: (775) 784-1620. E-mail:
stjeor{at}med.unr.edu.
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