Pathological changes in pregnant mice infected with Coxsackie B3 virus as a possible cause of retarded foetal development.

Coxsackie B3 virus injected into mice on the eighth day of pregnancy resulted in foetal wastage and growth retardation. Although in apparent good health, the pregnant animals ate more food than the controls yet failed to increase in body weight as normal. This observation, together with the maternal autopsy findings of pancreatic acinar atrophy and hepatitis, suggests that the animals are subject to a manifestation of dietary deficiency attributable to an inability to break down and digest protein in their diet. It would seem that whilst the possibility of the virus exerting a direct effect on the foetuses cannot be ignored, the action of the virus in reducing the state of health of the pregnant mother is largely responsible for the foetal effects seen.