Animal model of rotavirus infection in rabbits--protection obtained without shedding of viral antigen.

A small animal model was developed in order to investigate the pathogenesis and immunology of rotavirus infections and to study the interaction of different virus strains. Seronegative rabbits of the breed French Lop were used. Two rabbit rotavirus strains, belonging to the same serotype, were used: 82/311 F and R-2, both isolated during diarrhoeal outbreaks in commercial rabbitries. The animals were inoculated orally. The viral shedding and the serological response was monitored by ELISA. Initially six weeks old kits were given four different doses of strain R-2. With doses ranging from 1 x 10(3) to 1 x 10(6) TCID50 all animals seroconverted, but for the lowest dose no viral excretion could be detected. No clinical symptoms were observed. Subsequently the age periods during which the animals were susceptible to the strain R-2 was investigated. The rabbits seroconverted and shed rotavirus antigen, independent of age of six or 22 weeks. None of the animals had diarrhoea. Administration of strain 82/311 F did not result in viral shedding, independently of dose, but all the animals seroconverted. It was also shown for the strain R-2 that when challenging with the same strain four weeks post inoculation that the animals were protected; no viral shedding was detected at the second infection. Strain 82/311 F gave protection against R-2 when the rabbits were challenged four weeks post inoculation.