RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Blasdell, Kim A1 McCracken, Christina A1 Morris, Andy A1 Nash, Anthony A. A1 Begon, Mike A1 Bennett, Malcolm A1 Stewart, James P.YR 2003 T1 The wood mouse is a natural host for Murid herpesvirus 4 JF Journal of General Virology, VO 84 IS 1 SP 111 OP 113 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.18731-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB Infection of laboratory mice by the Murid herpesvirus 4 (MHV-4) is a much studied model system for gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. Little, however, is known about its natural host range, epidemiology and pathogenesis outside the laboratory. We have studied MHV-4 infection in free-living murids in the UK. Using a combination of serology and PCR analysis, we found that MHV-4 was endemic in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) but not in two species of voles (Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus agrestis). The sites of detection of viral DNA were the lungs and, less commonly, the spleen, emphasizing the importance of the former in virus persistence during natural infection and confirming similar data in laboratory mice., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.18731-0