TY - JOUR
T1 - Reassortant analysis of guinea pig virulence of Pichinde virus variants
AU - Zhang, Lihong
AU - Marriott, Kathleen A.
AU - Harnish, Delsworth G.
AU - Aronson, Judith F.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the John Sealy Memorial Endowment Fund for Biomedical Research and The James W. McLaughlin Fellowship Fund for Infection and Immunity.
PY - 2001/11/10
Y1 - 2001/11/10
N2 - The new world arenavirus Pichinde (PIC) is the basis of an accepted small animal model for human Lassa fever. PIC (Munchique strain) variant P2 is attenuated in guinea pigs, whereas variant P18 is extremely virulent. Previous sequence analysis of the S segments of these two viruses indicated a small number of possible virulence markers in the glycoprotein precursor (GPC) and nucleoprotein (NP) genes. In order to determine the role of these S segment genes in guinea pig virulence in this system, we have generated reassortant viruses. When tested in outbred guinea pigs, the reassortant containing the S segment from the virulent parent P18 (S18L2) caused significantly higher morbidity than the reciprocal reassortant. This increased morbidity was associated with higher viral titers in serum and spleen. However, the S18L2 reassortant was not as fully virulent in this system as the P18 parent, indicating a role for L segment genes in virulence.
AB - The new world arenavirus Pichinde (PIC) is the basis of an accepted small animal model for human Lassa fever. PIC (Munchique strain) variant P2 is attenuated in guinea pigs, whereas variant P18 is extremely virulent. Previous sequence analysis of the S segments of these two viruses indicated a small number of possible virulence markers in the glycoprotein precursor (GPC) and nucleoprotein (NP) genes. In order to determine the role of these S segment genes in guinea pig virulence in this system, we have generated reassortant viruses. When tested in outbred guinea pigs, the reassortant containing the S segment from the virulent parent P18 (S18L2) caused significantly higher morbidity than the reciprocal reassortant. This increased morbidity was associated with higher viral titers in serum and spleen. However, the S18L2 reassortant was not as fully virulent in this system as the P18 parent, indicating a role for L segment genes in virulence.
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U2 - 10.1006/viro.2001.1127
DO - 10.1006/viro.2001.1127
M3 - Article
C2 - 11883003
AN - SCOPUS:0035841675
SN - 0042-6822
VL - 290
SP - 30
EP - 38
JO - Virology
JF - Virology
IS - 1
ER -