Pathology of diarrhea due to mouse hepatitis virus in the infant mouse.
Two-day-old mice were inoculated orally with a mouse hepatitis virus which had been isolated from a suckling mouse with fatal diarrhea, and a systemic infection was shown to be established, though enterotropism of the isolate was evident. Significant viral growth and syncytium forming lesions were first detectable in the intestines at day 2 postinoculation, followed by the development of focal necrotic hepatitis. The virus titer in both liver and intestine attained maximum levels at days 4 to 5. Death occurred at day 5 or later, and 60 to 100% mice died during the first 2 weeks of life. Before death, some mice showed neurologic signs with high titered viruses recovered from the brain. The necrotizing lesions were also demonstrated in the lung and lymphoid organs.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*
D000956:Antigens, Viral