Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Host nutritional status and its effect on a viral pathogen.

M A Beck1, O A Levander

  • 1Departments of Pediatrics and Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7220, USA. melinda_beck@unc.edu

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|August 17, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Host nutrition impacts viral pathogens. Selenium- and vitamin E-deficient mice developed severe myocarditis from a mutated coxsackievirus B3, indicating host oxidative stress influences viral virulence.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Measurement of a superconducting qubit with a microwave photon counter.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2018
Same author

Increased risk of influenza among vaccinated adults who are obese.

International journal of obesity (2005)·2017
Same author

Predicting total dissolved solids release from central Appalachian coal mine spoils.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2016
Same author

Tissue factor deficiency increases alveolar hemorrhage and death in influenza A virus-infected mice.

Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH·2016
Same author

The effects of diet-induced obesity on B cell function.

Clinical and experimental immunology·2014
Same author

Obesity is associated with impaired immune response to influenza vaccination in humans.

International journal of obesity (2005)·2011

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Host nutritional status is linked to infectious disease severity and susceptibility.
  • The traditional view is that poor nutrition weakens the immune system, increasing infection risk.
  • Emerging research suggests nutrition also impacts the pathogen itself.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how host nutritional status influences viral pathogenicity.
  • To explore the role of oxidative stress in altering viral behavior.

Main Methods:

  • A mouse model was used to study coxsackievirus B3 infection.
  • Mice were subjected to diets deficient in selenium and vitamin E.
  • Viral genomes were analyzed for mutations associated with pathogenicity changes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • A normally benign coxsackievirus B3 strain mutated to a virulent form in selenium- and vitamin E-deficient mice.
  • This mutation led to myocarditis in deficient mice.
  • The mutated, virulent virus caused disease even in nutritionally replete mice.

Conclusions:

  • Host nutritional status, specifically oxidative stress levels, can induce mutations in viral pathogens.
  • These mutations can alter a virus's pathogenicity, potentially increasing disease severity.
  • This highlights a novel mechanism where host factors directly influence viral evolution and virulence.