FIGURE 2.

Host genetics is a determinant of hepacivirus chronicity. (A) Study Design. C57BL/6J, CC046, CC071, and CC080 mice were infected with 1 × 10⁵ genome equivalents of recombinant NrHV or negative control PBS using retroorbital injection, and viremia was monitored weekly or monthly. (B) NrHV viremia for weeks 1–39 determined by qRT-PCR of RNA from serum. See Table S2 for the number of animals per strain per time. (C) NrHV Viremia for weeks 1–5. Levels of viral RNA in serum were measured by qRT-PCR. C57BL/6J Time (N): week 1 (19), week 2 (15), week 3 (15), week 4 (15), week 5 (15). CC046 Time (N): week 1 (13), week 2 (10), week 3 (10), week 4 (10), week 5 (10). CC071 Time (N): week 1 (22), week 2 (20), week 3 (18), week 4 (19), week 5 (19). CC080 Time (N): week 1 (13), week 2 (10), week 3 (10), week 4 (10), and week 5 (10). Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences by 2-Way ANOVA Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. (D) Proportion of mice per strain that clear virus early ( < 3 wk), middle (week 4–7), late (week 8–22), or do not clear (viremic week 23 to end of study). Only mice that survived to the end of the study were considered for this analysis. For B and C, the dotted line indicates the average limit of quantitation. All data for B–D, was compiled from 2 independent experiments. Abbreviations: CC, Collaborative Cross; NrHV, Norway rat hepacivirus.