Cardiac Cell-specific Apoptotic and Cytokine Responses to Reovirus Infection: Determinants of Myocarditic Phenotype

We hypothesize that differential cytokine production and cell-specific apoptosis are important determinants of myocarditic potential of reoviral strains. Therapies that target the beneficial effects of cytokines in limiting cytopathic damage may offer an effective and novel treatment approach to viral myocarditis.