Humoral immunity and protection of mice challenged with homotypic or heterotypic parvovirus.
OBJECTIVE
Two serotypes of autonomously replicating parvoviruses infect laboratory mice. Genome regions coding for the nonstructural proteins of minute virus of mice [MVM] and mouse parvovirus [MPV] are almost identical, whereas capsid-coding sequences are divergent. We addressed these questions: Does humoral immunity confer protection from acute infection after challenge with homotypic or heterotypic parvovirus, and if it confers protection against acute MPV infection, does it also protect against persistent MPV infection?


METHODS
Infant mice without maternal antibody or antibody to MVM or MPV and young adult mice given normal mouse serum or antibody to MVM or MPV were challenged with homotypic or heterotypic virus. In situ hybridization with target tissues was the indicator of infection.


RESULTS
Humoral immunity failed to confer protection against acute heterotypic parvovirus infection. In passive transfer studies, MPV DNA was observed occasionally in lymph nodes, intestine, or the spleen of MPV-challenged mice given homotypic antibody and kept for 6 or 28 days. Variable proportions of mice given MPV antibody and homotypic challenge had viral DNA in lymphoid tissues 56 days after virus inoculation.


CONCLUSIONS
A mouse or colony that has sustained infection with MVM or MPV is probably fully susceptible to infection with the heterotypic virus.
Hansen
G M
GM
Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Paturzo
F X
FX
Smith
A L
AL
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology*; D008915:Minute Virus of Mice / Q000276:immunology; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017992:Parvovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D012703:Serotyping
D004279:DNA, Viral