A NON-CARDIOVIRULENT STRAIN OF COXSACKIEVIRUS B3 CAUSES MYOCARDITIS IN MICE WITH SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

The most extensively studied animal model of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)- induced inflammatory heart muscle disease is the murine model. In the acute and chronic phase of the disease, it has been suggested that aut oimmune mechanisms play a major role in the pathogenesis of the diseas e. In this study, C3H mice without functional T- and B-lymphocytes (C3 H SCID) were inoculated either with a cardiovirulent (CVB3/20) or a no n-cardiovirulent (CVB3/0) strain of coxsackievirus B3. Both viruses ca used myocarditis in SCID mice. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated, that CVB3/0 had mutated to a cardiovirulent phenotype, able to cause m yocarditis in immunocompetent mice.