Virulence and Immunogenicity in Mice of Airborne Encephalomyocarditis Viruses and Their Infectious Nucleic Acids

[摘要] Mice were exposed to aerosols of different strains of the encephalomyocarditis virus group. Responses in mice were different according to strains, virulence being correlated with plaque size. Small plaque-forming strains, ME and Mengo-37A (a heat-resistant mutant of Mengo), were essentially avirulent. The avirulent strains were immunogenic when in sufficient concentration. Aerosol studies with infectious RNA extracted from Mengovirus, ME, and Mengo-37A indicated that the responses in mice were similar to those observed with intact virus. Mengovirus RNA aerosols were lethal for mice, whereas Mengo-37A and ME RNA were avirulent and were not immunogenic in the limited aerosol concentration tested. Mice immunized with intact Mengo-37A virus were refractory to Mengo RNA aerosol challenge.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）