An Adenovirus Isolated from the Feces of Mice

II. Experimental Infection

Abstract

Experimental infection of an inbred strain of DK1 mice was carried out with a mouse adenovirus strain K87, isolated from the feces of apparently healthy DK1 mice. Strain K87 was orally administered to four-week-old mice and the virus was recovered from their feces for at least 3 weeks. The highest virus titers in the feces were observed between 1 and 2 weeks after inoculation. In 7-week-old mice the period of virus excretion was about one week shorter. When neonatal or 2-week-old mice were administered virus orally, somewhat irregular results but similar to those from the 4 or 7-week-old mice were obtained. In these infected mice, virus growth was detected in the intestinal tract but not in oropharyngeal washings, nasal tissue, lung, spleen or urine. After inocu-lation through several parenteral routes, the virus was also detected in the feces and virus growth seemed to be limited mainly to the intestinal tract. No clinical manifestations were observed in any infected mice. When the virus was almost undetectable in the mice infected either orally or parenterally, the virus was readministered orally, but no further virus was recovered in the feces. Neutralizing antibody in the serum was detected 3 weeks after primary inoculation. Induction of immunological tolerance was examined by inoculating mice in utero 2-4 days before birth, but no evidence of induced tolerance was obtained. The use of the adenovirus strain K87-mouse system as a model system for the study of the infectious process and immune mechanisms is suggested because strain K87 has tissue tropism analogous to many human adenoviruses.