title: Coxsackievirus B4 vertical transmission in a murine model.
abstract: Life-threatening infections with type B Coxsackieviruses (CV-B) are frequently encountered among newborns and are partly attributed to vertically-transmitted virus. Our current study investigates this alternative way of contamination by CV-B, using a mouse model.
  
  
  
  Pregnant Swiss mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with CV-B4 E2 at gestational day 10(G) or 17G. Dams and offspring were monitored for mortality and morbidity, and sampled at different time-points to document the infection and explore eventual vertical transmission.
  
  
  
  Inoculation at day 10G induced an important rate of abortion and a decrease in the number of delivered pups per litter, whereas inoculation at day 17G was marked by preterm delivery and significant behavioral changes in dams. Only one case of spastic paralysis and one case of pancreatitis were recorded among surviving pups. Seroneutralization revealed anti-CV-B4 neutralizing antibodies in infected dams and their partial transfer to offspring. Viral genome detection by RT-PCR and viral progeny titration in several tissues (dams' uteri, amniotic sac, amniotic fluid, placenta, umbilical cord, pancreas and heart) attested and documented CV-B4 vertical transmission to the majority of analyzed offspring. Virus detection in fetuses suggests transplacental transmission, but perinatal transmission during delivery could be also suggested. Vertically transmitted CV-B might even persist since prolonged viral RNA detection was noticed in the pancreas and heart from offspring born to dams inoculated at day 17G.
  
  
  
  This model of CV-B4 vertical transmission in mice, in addition to allow a better understanding of CV-B infections in fetuses and newborns, constitutes a useful tool to investigate the pathogenesis of CV-B associated chronic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Université de Monastir, Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia. jaidanehela@yahoo.fr.|Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia. jaidanehela@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Hela
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5912-9405
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jaïdane
authors.affiliation: Université de Monastir, Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.|Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Aymen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halouani
authors.affiliation: Université de Monastir, Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.|Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jmii
authors.affiliation: Université de Monastir, Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.|Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Firas
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elmastour
authors.affiliation: Université de Sousse, CHU Farhat Hached, Service d'Anatomopathologie, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Moncef
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mokni
authors.affiliation: Université de Monastir, Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mahjoub
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aouni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Mouse model; Persistence; Type B Coxsackieviruses; Vertical transmission