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Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Reverse Genetics Mediated Recovery of Infectious Murine Norovirus
Published on: June 24, 2012
Isolation and Identification of a Murine Norovirus Persistent Infection Strain in China
Zhao Na1, Jiang Bo2, Yang Yifei3
1The Experiment Animal Center, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China.
Abstract:
Murine Norovirus (MNV) is one of the most known viruses among viruses in mice. Because of the high prevalence of MNV in frequently used laboratory animals in biomedical researches, there is a significant impact of MNV. There may be different prevalence degrees and molecular characteristics of MNV in different regions around the world. Here, we reported an MNV strain "designated HBTS-1806" isolation from commercial mice's feces that caused a detectable cytopathic effect (CPE) in RAW264.7 cells. According to electron microscopy, the virus was 50-70 nm in diameter. The complete genome of HBTS-1806 is 7383 nucleotides with a structure similar to that of MNV reference strains. According to phylogenetic analysis on the basis of the whole genome, HBTS-1806 shared nucleotide sequence identities of 90.2-95.4% with other Chinese isolates reported. Analysis of amino acid sequence on the basis of ORF1 and ORF2 suggested that the isolated strain may be derived from recombination. Although no gross lesions or histopathological changes were found from mice infected with 5 × 105 TCLD50 of MNV by oral gavage inoculation, the intestinal virus loads lasted 12 weeks, suggesting a persistent infection strain of MNV isolate in China.
Insights
Murine Norovirus (MNV) was isolated from commercial mice, showing a persistent intestinal infection for 12 weeks. This discovery impacts biomedical research due to MNV
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Health
Background:
- Murine Norovirus (MNV) is prevalent in laboratory mice, impacting biomedical research.
- MNV exhibits regional variations in prevalence and molecular characteristics.
- Contamination of research animals with MNV can confound experimental results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize a novel Murine Norovirus (MNV) strain from commercial mice in China.
- To investigate the genomic and phylogenetic features of the isolated MNV strain.
- To assess the pathogenicity and persistence of the MNV strain in experimentally infected mice.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of MNV from fecal samples of commercial mice.
- Detection of cytopathic effect (CPE) in RAW264.7 cells.
- Electron microscopy for viral particle size determination.
- Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
- Oral gavage inoculation of mice to assess infection dynamics.
Main Results:
- A novel MNV strain, HBTS-1806, was isolated and confirmed by CPE and electron microscopy (50-70 nm diameter).
- The complete genome of HBTS-1806 (7383 nucleotides) showed high sequence identity (90.2-95.4%) with other Chinese MNV isolates.
- Phylogenetic and amino acid analyses suggested potential recombination in ORF1 and ORF2.
- Infection in mice resulted in no gross lesions but demonstrated persistent intestinal viral loads for 12 weeks.
Conclusions:
- The isolated MNV strain HBTS-1806 represents a potentially persistent infection in mice.
- Understanding the molecular characteristics and persistence of MNV strains is crucial for controlling its spread in research settings.
- This study highlights the importance of monitoring MNV contamination in commercial mouse populations for reliable biomedical research.
