Murid herpesvirus 4 is a virus

Virus

A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...

 in the genus Rhadinovirus

Rhadinovirus

Rhadinoviruses are a genus of herpesviruses that include the Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus , which causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. Other names for the Rhadinovirus genus include Rhadinoviridae...

. It is a member of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae

Gammaherpesvirinae

Gammaherpesvirinae is a subfamily of Herpesviridae distinguished by reproducing at a more variable rate than other subfamilies of Herpesviridae...

 in the family Herpesviridae

Herpesviridae

The Herpesviridae are a large family of DNA viruses that cause diseases in animals, including humans. The members of this family are also known as herpesviruses. The family name is derived from the Greek word herpein , referring to the latent, recurring infections typical of this group of viruses...

. MuHV 4 infects mice via the nasal passages and causes an acute infectious mononucleosis

Infectious mononucleosis

Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...

-like syndrome with elevated levels of leukocytes, and shifts in the relative proportion of lymphocytes along with the appearance of atypical mononuclear cells. Murid herpesvirus 4 currently serves as a model for study of human gamma-herpesvirus pathogenesis

Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...

.

Seven strains of MuHV 4 have been isolated, including the following six:

• MHV-Šum
• MHV-60
• MHV-68
  Murid herpesvirus 68
  Murid herpesvirus 68 is an isolate of Murid herpesvirus 4 which is a virus in the genus Rhadinovirus. It is a member of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae in the family of Herpesviridae. MHV-68 serves as a model for study of human gammaherpesviruses which cause significant human disease including...
  
  
• MHV-72
• MHV-76
• MHV-4556