FIG. 1.

IFN-α/βR-deficient mice show increased susceptibility to lethal infection with CVB3. (A) IFN-α/βR^−/− mice (n = 6) and age- and sex-matched wild-type C57BL/6 (n = 6) were injected with 10⁴ PFU of CVB3 and monitored for survival. The median survival was 2 days for IFN-α/βR^−/− mice (solid line) versus 4 days for wild-type C57BL/6 mice (dashed line, P = 0.0009). (B) Histopathology of livers and pancreata from a wild-type C57BL/6 mouse and an IFN-α/βR^−/− mouse 48 h after infection with CVB3. Both pancreata demonstrate severe necrosis of the acinar cells, but only the IFN-α/βR^−/− mouse liver shows severe necrosis without associated inflammatory cellular infiltration. Magnification, ×400.