Human noroviruses are highly efficient in person to person transmission thus associated with explosive outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis. Outbreak control is limited to disinfection and isolation measures. Strategies to control the spread of noroviruses should be developed and models to study norovirus transmission will greatly facilitate this. Here, a mouse-to-mouse transmission model, in which mice develop acute murine norovirus (MNV)-induced diarrhea, was used to explore the role of interferon lambda (IFN-λ) in the control of a norovirus infection.

Sentinel AG129 mice [deficient in IFN-α/β and IFN-γ receptors] that were co-housed with MNV-infected mice shedding high amounts of virus in their stool, developed a MNV-infection with associated diarrhea. Inoculation of such sentinel mice with an IFN-λ expression plasmid resulted in the production of circulating IFN-λ and upregulation of the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) of the gut. Injection of the IFN-λ-expressing plasmid to sentinels prevents MNV-induced disease upon exposure to MNV-infected mice, as well as MNV replication in the small intestine, the associated signs of inflammation and the mounting of a specific IgG-based immune response. This demonstrates that IFN-λ can alone mediate protection against transmission of norovirus. The development of a simple delivery method for IFN-λ could be explored as a strategy to control norovirus outbreaks and protect vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised.

人诺如病毒在人与人之间的传播非常高效，因此与急性胃肠炎的爆发有关。爆发控制仅限于消毒和隔离措施。应该制定控制诺如病毒传播的策略，研究诺如病毒传播的模型将大大促进这一点。在这里，小鼠到小鼠的传播模型，其中小鼠发展为急性鼠诺如病毒（MNV）引起的腹泻，被用来探讨干扰素λ（IFN-λ）在诺如病毒感染控制中的作用。

Sentinel AG129小鼠[缺乏IFN-α/β和IFN-γ受体]与MNV感染的小鼠共粪便，这些小鼠在粪便中散发大量病毒，发展为MNV感染并伴有腹泻。用IFN-λ表达质粒接种这种前哨小鼠导致循环IFN-λ的产生和肠的IFN-刺激基因（ISG）的表达上调。将表达IFN-λ的质粒注射到前哨中可防止MNV感染的小鼠接触MNV感染的小鼠，以及MNV在小肠中的复制，相关的炎症迹象以及基于IgG的特异性免疫应答。这表明IFN-λ可以单独介导针对诺如病毒传播的保护。