Isolation and pathogenicity of the mammalian orthoreovirus MPC/04 from masked civet cats

Mammalian reoviruses (MRVs) are associated with pulmonary infections and have been isolated from humans and various animals experiencing respiratory illness. We report here the first case of an MRV detected in the masked palm civet, which showed the highest similarity to the serotype 3 MRV. Reovirus particles were identified by electron microscopic examination of both negative-stain and thin-section. Genomic pattern analysis on SDS-PAGE showed that MPC/04 had 10-segmented double-strand RNA genome. Intranasal infection of four-week-old female BALB/c mice resulted in fatal respiratory distress but not other routes. Infections caused tissue damage and inflammation. MPC/04 grew to higher titers in the lungs than in other tissues. This research strongly suggests a need for additional experimentation to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of mammalian orthoreoviruses in infected animals and humans.