Infections of neonatal and adult mice with murine CMV HaNa1 strain upon oronasal inoculation: New insights in the pathogenesis of natural primary CMV infections

• Nose is the initial replication site for natural MCMV infection.
• Olfactory neurons in nose can be infected by MCMV.
• Macrophages and dendritic cells in NALT are the target cells.
• A typical systemic infection occurred in neonates but not in adults via oronasal route.
• The predominant IgG isotype in infected neonates is IgG2a.

In healthy individuals, naturally acquired infections of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are generally asymptomatic. Animal models mimicking the natural primary HCMV infections in infants and adults are scarce. Here, neonatal and adult BALB/c mice were inoculated oronasally with a Belgian isolate HaNa1 of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). None of the mice showed clinical symptoms. In neonatal mice, a typical systemic infection occurred. In adult mice, viral replication was restricted to the nasal mucosa and submandibular glands. Infectious virus was not detected in trachea, oral mucosa, pharynx, esophagus, small intestines of both neonatal and adult mice at all time points. Nose was demonstrated to be the entry site. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that in nose infected cells were olfactory neurons and sustentacular cells in olfactory epithelium and were macrophages and dendritic cells in nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissues (NALT). Neonatal and adult mice developed similar antibody response pattern, though former magnitude was lower. In summary, we have established intranasal (without anesthesia) infections of neonatal and adult mice with murine CMV HaNa1 strain, which mimic the range and extent of virus replication during natural primary HCMV infections in healthy infants and adults. These findings might bring new insights in the pathogenesis of natural primary CMV infections.