Effects of experimental infection of the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) with mouse hepatitis virus

Three deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) given 10(4) TCID50 of mouse hepatitis virus -S intranasally all had significant serum neutralization titers to mouse hepatitis virus -S 3 weeks later. Ten other deer mice were given 10(3) TCID50 of mouse hepatitis virus -3 intranasally and placed with sentinel laboratory mice (CF1, C3H/Rv, and nu/nu) and uninoculated deer mice. One inoculated deer mouse died, but mouse hepatitis virus was not isolated. No other inoculated or uninoculated animals exhibited signs of disease. No sentinel animals exhibited serum neutralization titers for mouse hepatitis virus -3. Three of the remaining nine inoculated deer mice had positive antibody titers. It was concluded that deer mice do not develop clinical manifestations of mouse hepatitis virus or transmit the virus to potentially susceptible laboratory mice.