The Effect of Diet on the Susceptibility of the Mouse to Pneumonia Virus of Mice (pvm)

Young mice fed diets deficient in pyridoxine or fed desoxypyridoxine after the inoculation of the pneumonia virus of mice were more resistant to infection than well nourished controls. The susceptibility of young mice to PVM increased with the duration of pyridoxine administration after inoculation. Dietary protein restriction when pyridoxine was provided did not affect the susceptibility of mice to PVM. The PVM-combining capacity of mouse lung and the titer of humoral antibody against PVM were the same in mice fed a complete or pyridoxine-deficient diet for 6 days. The amount of PVM in mouse lungs 6 days after inoculation was greater by both infectivity and hemagglutination titrations in mice fed pyridoxine than in pyridoxine-deficient controls. This suggests that pyridoxine was essential during the postinoculation period for optimal virus multiplication.