Sendai virus intra-host population dynamics and host immunocompetence influence viral virulence during in vivo passage

Peña, José; Chen-Harris, Haiyin; Allen, Jonathan E.; Hwang, Mona; Elsheikh, Maher; Mabery, Shalini; Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Helle; Zemla, Adam T.; Bowen, Richard A.; Borucki, Monica K.

Groups of 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice (Charles River; n ¼ 5 per experimental group, n ¼ 4 for mock infected group for each diet) were fed a ND, or selenium deficient diet for 7 weeks, or a high FD 15 weeks prior to infection. The ND chow, Global 18% Protein Rodent Diet 2018 (Teklad Diets, Madison, WI) contained 0.23 mg/kg Se, and 18% kcal from fat (soybean oil). The selenium deficient diet, Teklad Custom Diet, Selenium deficient TD.92163, contained 14.3 % kcal from fat (corn oil). The high FD (D12331, Research Diets, New Brunswick, NJ) contained 58 kcal% fat (coconut and soybean oils). Note, the selenium status was not assessed via glutathione peroxidase activity in any of the diet groups prior to infection, and the diets varied in ingredients such as fat and carbohydrate source. Diets were staggered for each infection group so all mice were of the same approximate age when infected.