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A comparison of the effect of molluscum contagiosum virus MC159 and MC160 proteins on vaccinia virus virulence in intranasal and intradermal infection routes.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Biswas, Sunetra 
Smith, Geoffrey L 
Roy, Edward J 
Ward, Brian 
Shisler, Joanna L 

Abstract

Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) causes persistent, benign skin neoplasm in children and adults. MCV is refractive to growth in standard tissue culture and there is no relevant animal model of infection. Here we investigated whether another poxvirus (vaccinia virus; VACV) could be used to examine MCV immunoevasion protein properties in vivo. The MCV MC159L or MC160L genes, which encode NF-κB antagonists, were inserted into an attenuated VACV lacking an NF-κB antagonist (vΔA49), creating vMC159 and vMC160. vMC160 slightly increased vΔA49 virulence in the intranasal and intradermal routes of inoculation. vMC159 infection was less virulent than vΔA49 in both inoculation routes. vMC159-infected ear pinnae did not form lesions, but virus replication still occurred. Thus, the lack of lesions was not due to abortive virus replication. This system provides a new approach to examine MCV immunoevasion proteins within the context of a complete and complex immune system.

Description

Keywords

MC159, MC160, intradermal infection, molluscum contagiosum virus, pathogenesis, poxvirus, Administration, Intranasal, Animals, Child, Female, Humans, Injections, Intradermal, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Molluscum contagiosum virus, NF-kappa B, Vaccinia virus, Viral Proteins, Virulence

Journal Title

J Gen Virol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0022-1317
1465-2099

Volume Title

99

Publisher

Microbiology Society
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (090315/Z/09/Z)
Wellcome Trust (090315/B/09/A)