# Sex-dependent replication of coxsackievirus

> **NIH NIH K01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2020 · $136,043

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common infection that is spread by the fecal-oral route. Nearly all humans
are infected with a coxsackievirus by the age of 5, and coxsackievirus is a major cause viral myocarditis,
meningoencephalitis, and hand, foot, and mouth disease. Using a recently developed mouse model to study
CVB3, I found that, similar to humans, male mice succumb to CVB3-induced disease, whereas female mice do
not. Intriguingly, CVB3 replication in the intestine of male mice is enhanced and requires intestinal bacteria.
Furthermore, CVB3 replication can be restored in female mice when they are given microbiota from male mice
by fecal transplantation. This suggests, for the first time, that sex differences in intestinal bacteria alter viral
replication. However, the mechanisms for this sex-bias remain unknown. Emerging data indicate that intestinal
bacteria differ in males and females and that bacterial differences correlate with sex hormones, such as
testosterone. These data suggest that bacteria and sex hormones may influence CVB3 replication in the
intestine. The goal of this study is to identify intestinal bacteria that promote CVB3 replication and investigate
the effect of sex hormones on intestinal CVB3 replication. These studies will shed significant insights into the
intestinal environment required for coxsackievirus replication and will be beneficial to understanding human
infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9980879
- **Project number:** 5K01DK110216-05
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Michael Robinson
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $136,043
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9980879

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9980879, Sex-dependent replication of coxsackievirus (5K01DK110216-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9980879. Licensed CC0.

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