Influence of time of infection during pregnancy with coxsackievirus B3 on maternal pathology and foetal growth in mice.

Coxsackievirus B3 causes foetal wastage and growth retardation in mice which may be attributed to the action of the virus in destroying the maternal exocrine pancreas. Injection of virus on Day 4 or 8 of gestation caused greater foetal wastage than injection at 12 days. Foetal and placental weights in infected animals were less than in the controls but did not vary according to the time of infection. Little support is offered for the view that the mouse foetus differs in its susceptibility to Coxsackievirus B3 according to the stage in gestation of infection.