title: A small animal model for mother-to-fetus transmission of ts1, a murine retrovirus.
abstract: Infection with a murine retrovirus, MoMuLV-TB, ts1 in BALB/c mice has been established as a small animal model for retroviral neurodegenerative disease as shown with infections such as HIV. However, mother-to-pup transmission has never been demonstrated in this model. The current investigation examines vertical transmission of ts1 in this mouse model. A total of 15 females were used to produce 59 pups (16 were used for control, and 43 were used as experimental animals). For experiment 1, 24 5-day-old mice were injected with [0.2 mL of 2.0 x 10(6) ffu/mL ts1] virus. For experiment 2, 19 48-h-old mice were injected with [0.1 mL of 4 x 10(6) ffu/mL ts1] virus. Control groups were injected with DMEM only. PCR and electron microscopy were performed to determine the presence of virus. All mice from experiment 1 injected with ts1 showed viral infection, and retained 100% reproductive capacity. Three out of 102 pups produced by these infected females were infected with ts1. Nine percent of the pups from experiment 2 injected with ts1 retained normal reproductive capacity, and two out of eight (25%) pups had viral infection. Vertical transmission of this unique retrovirus occurs and is dependent, in part, on the timing of maternal infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio 43614-5804, USA. jchakraborty@mco.edu
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: Stacie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okonta
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duggan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008979:Moloney murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D013154:Spleen / Q000821:virology