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The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1973 May 1;137(5):1226–1239. doi: 10.1084/jem.137.5.1226

VIRUS-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS

I. HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HYPOINSULINEMIA IN MICE INFECTED WITH ENCEPHALOMYOCARDITIS VIRUS

D Wark Boucher 1, Abner Louis Notkins 1
PMCID: PMC2139249  PMID: 4349751

Abstract

Infection of DBA/2N male mice with encephalomyocarditis virus resulted in a diabeteslike syndrome characterized by hyperglycemia, glycosuria, hypoinsulinemia, polydipsia, and polyphagia. Blood glucose levels were elevated within 4 days after infection and reached a maximum mean level of 320 mg/100 ml within 12 days. Approximately 60–80% of the animals developed a transient hyperglycemia while 10–15% of the animals remained hyperglycemic for well over 6 mo. The remaining animals failed to become hyperglycemic but many had abnormal glucose tolerance curves. Hyperglycemia was most pronounced when animals were allowed free access to food, and the incidence of byperglycemia was related both to the strain and sex of the animals, with few females developing hyperglycemia. The amount of immunoreactive insulin in the plasma of infected hyperglycemic mice was significantly lower than in appropriate controls, and injection of exogenous insulin resulted in a rapid drop in the blood glucose levels. Despite the fact that certain animals were hyperglycemic for many months, virus could not be recovered from the pancreas after the first 10 days of the infection.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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