Enhanced ERK-1/2 activation in mice susceptible to coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis
J. Clin. Invest. Mary Anne Opavsky, et al. 109:1561 doi:10.1172/JCI13971 [Go to this article.]

Figure 5
A/J mice are more susceptible to CVB3 myocarditis. At 4 days after infection representative cryosections (10 μm) illustrate that (a) myocyte damage and myocytolysis (arrowheads) in the myocardium of A/J mice are widespread, but (b) in the hearts of C57BL/6 mice cardiac myocytes are generally intact, with cross-striations visible in normal-appearing myocytes. Ten days after infection, representative sections of paraffin-embedded tissue (4 μm) illustrate (c) large areas of myocyte destruction and infiltrating mononuclear cells in the hearts of A/J mice, but (d) only small isolated foci of inflammatory cells (arrowheads) in the myocardium of C57BL/6 mice. All histological sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, with original magnification ×400. (e) CVB3 titers were significantly greater in A/J mouse hearts, consistent with the more aggressive heart disease evident on histopathology. *P < 0.05 for A/J mice day-4 titers versus day-1 and -2 titers; **P < 0.05 for day-4 titers in A/J versus C57BL/6 hearts (n = 3 per group; ANOVA plus Bonferroni/Dunn post hoc testing).