Altered distribution of heavy metals and lipids in coxsackievirus B3 infected mice.

This report presents evidence that a micro-organism common in our environment, coxsackievirus B3 (CB3) and the host responses it causes, can change the body distribution of heavy metals and lipids. The present results show that the distributions of intravenously injected 109Cd, 63Ni and 14C-Cholesterol are changed during infection, in a way that is specific for each of the studied compounds. Increased accumulation of 109Cd in the spleen and kidneys, 63Ni in the pancreas and ventricular myocardium, and 14C-Cholesterol in the heart and pancreas was observed during CB3 infection. This may affect the development of inflammatory lesions and subsequently result in altered and/or increased target organ toxicity as well as lipid accumulation. Thus, risk assessment in exposed populations may have to be evaluated depending on individual nutritional and exposure status.