Lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus, a rodent-borne virus that causes persistent infections and immune dysregulation, is a challenging word to spell. It is pronounced /ˈlæktət dihʌɪˈdrɒdʒəneɪz ˈɛləveɪtɪŋ ˈvaɪrəs/. The spelling is a reflection of the pronunciation, with some letters representing sounds that are not always written explicitly in English, like the glottal stop represented by the apostrophe in 'dihʌ' and the schwa sound in 'ə'. Using the International Phonetic Alphabet can help clarify spelling and pronunciation for complex scientific terms.
Lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus (LDEV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the family Arteriviridae and is classified under the genus Arterivirus. It primarily infects rodents, particularly mice, and is known to cause persistent infections in these animals. LDEV is commonly found in laboratory mouse colonies and is associated with a range of pathological manifestations.
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme found in various tissues, including the liver, kidneys, and muscles. Lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus got its name due to its ability to cause elevated levels of LDH in the blood of infected rodents. This increase in LDH levels is often used as a diagnostic marker for LDEV infection.
LDEV infection is generally asymptomatic, but it can lead to immune system dysregulation and predispose mice to secondary infections. The virus can also cause hepatomegaly, lymphoid depletion, and damage to other tissues in infected mice.
Lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus is primarily transmitted through direct contact between rodents or through the bite of an infected mite. There is no evidence that LDEV can infect humans or other animals, making it a species-specific virus that affects only mice.
In conclusion, lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus is a type of Arterivirus that infects mice and is associated with elevated levels of the enzyme LDH in the blood. It can cause various pathological changes and immune system dysregulation in infected mice.