DA virus mutant H101 has altered CNS pathogenesis and causes immunosuppression.

Matthew F Cusick, Jane E Libbey, Daniel J Doty, Robert S Fujinami

Index: J. Neuroimmunol. 277(1-2) , 118-26, (2014)

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Abstract

Viruses use various mechanisms to evade clearance by the host. Investigating how a few changes in the genome of a non-lethal virus can lead to altered disease, from survivable to immunosuppression/death, would provide valuable information into viral pathogenesis. The Daniels strain of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus causes an asymptomatic infection or acute encephalitis followed by viral clearance. A mutant, H101, carries several alterations in the viral genome. H101 infection causes profound immunosuppression and death. Thus, a virus that is normally cleared by its natural host can become lethal due to just a few changes in the viral genome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.