Mouse hepatitis virus
Encyclopedia
Mouse hepatitis virus is a virus
of the family Coronaviridae
, genus coronavirus
.
Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is a coronavirus that causes an epidemic murine illness with high mortality, especially among colonies of laboratory mice. Prior to the discovery of SARS-CoV, MHV had been the best-studied coronavirus both in vivo and in vitro as well as at the molecular level. Some strains of MHV cause a progressive demyelinating encephalitis in mice which has been used as a murine model for multiple sclerosis
. Significant research efforts have been focused on elucidating the viral pathogenesis
of these animal coronaviruses, especially by virologists interested in veterinary and zoonotic diseases.
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
of the family Coronaviridae
Coronaviridae
Coronaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses with club-shaped surface about 120-160 nm in diameter that resemble a “corona”.-Virology:...
, genus coronavirus
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are species in the genera of virus belonging to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and a helical symmetry. The genomic size of coronaviruses ranges from approximately 16 to 31...
.
Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is a coronavirus that causes an epidemic murine illness with high mortality, especially among colonies of laboratory mice. Prior to the discovery of SARS-CoV, MHV had been the best-studied coronavirus both in vivo and in vitro as well as at the molecular level. Some strains of MHV cause a progressive demyelinating encephalitis in mice which has been used as a murine model for multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. Significant research efforts have been focused on elucidating the viral pathogenesis
Viral pathogenesis
Viral pathogenesis is the study of how biological viruses cause diseases in their target hosts, usually carried out at the cellular or molecular level. It is a specialized field of study in virology.-See also:*pathogen*pathogenesis...
of these animal coronaviruses, especially by virologists interested in veterinary and zoonotic diseases.