Interferon-sensitive coxsackievirus variants in nature

Variants of a clinical isolate of coxsackie B-4 virus that differ in interferon (IFN) sensitivity were selected from virus stock both before and after passage in mice. IFN sensitivity was a stable property on subsequent plaque selection. The IFN-sensitive variant was less virulent than its IFN-insensitive counterpart, whether from the original virus stock or from mouse passaged virus. None of these variants was diabetogenic in mice. These studies demonstrate that coxsackievirus variants of differing IFN sensitivity exist in nature and that this property can modulate virus virulence.