BENIGN HUMAN ENTEROVIRUS BECOMES VIRULENT IN SELENIUM-DEFICIENT MICE

Coxsackieviruses have been implicated as possible co-factors in the et iology of the selenium (Se)-responsive cardiomyopathy known as Keshan disease. Here we report that a cloned and sequenced amyocarditic coxsa ckievirus B3 (CVB3/0), which causes no pathology in the hearts of Se-a dequate mice, induces extensive cardiac pathology in Se-deficient mice . CVB3/0 recovered from the hearts of Se-deficient mice inoculated int o Se-adequate mice induced significant heart damage, suggesting mutati on of the virus to a virulent genotype. We demonstrate the important r ole of host nutritional status in determining the severity of a viral infection. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.