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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Plaque Assay for Murine Norovirus
Published on: August 22, 2012
Infectivity of a recombinant murine norovirus (RecMNV) in Balb/cByJ mice
Elisabeth Mathijs1, Edmilson F de Oliveira-Filho2, Fabiana Dal Pozzo3
1Veterinary Virology and Animal Viral Diseases, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health Centre (FARAH), 4000 Liège, Belgium; Department of Virology - Molecular Platform, Veterinary & Agrochemical Research Centre, 1180 Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
The infectivity of a recombinant murine norovirus (RecMNV) strain, previously isolated following in vitro coinfections, was evaluated in vivo in comparison with its parental strains (MNV-1-CW1 and WU20) in Balb/cByJ mice via measurement of weight loss and estimation of viral loads in faeces, tissues and organs 48 and 72h post-infection. The presence of infectious virus in all analysed tissues and organs suggests that, similarly to its parental viruses, RecMNV can disseminate beyond organs associated with the digestive tract. Our results also suggest that recombination occurring in vitro between two homologous murine norovirus strains can give rise to a chimeric strain which, despite slight differences, shows similar biological properties to its parental strains. This study provides the first report on in vivo replication of a recombinant norovirus strain isolated following in vitro coinfection. These results have great significance for norovirus genetic evolution and future vaccine development.
