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KINETIC PROFILE OF INFLUENZA VIRUS INFECTION IN THREE RAT STRAINS
Citation:
Daniels, M. J., MJK Selgrade, D L. Doerfler, AND M I. Gilmour. KINETIC PROFILE OF INFLUENZA VIRUS INFECTION IN THREE RAT STRAINS. COMPARATIVE MEDICINE. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Memphis, TN, 53(3):293-298, (2003).
Description:
Abstract
Influenza infection is a respiratory disease of viral origin that can cause major epidemics in man. The influenza virus infects and damages epithelial cells of the respiratory tract and causes pneumonia. Lung lesions of mice infected with influenza virus resembles that seen in human influenza, and can result in severe and even fatal pneumonia. By contrast, experimental infection of rats with the virus produces a milder form of the disease with no mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the time-course of influenza infection and lung injury in Brown Norway (BN), Fischer-344 (F344), and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to ascertain whether genetic background impacts susceptibility to infection and host responses. Rats from each strain were infected intranasally with 10,000 plaque-forming units of rat-adapted influenza virus (RAIV), and lungs were assessed at 2, 24, 48, 72, and 144 hours post infection for viral titers, inflammatory cells, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and biochemical indicators of lung edema (protein) and injury (lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]). Peak virus titers occurred 24hrs post infection and were 100 fold higher in the F344 and SD compared to the BN strain. Alveolar macrophages, LDH, and total protein were higher in the BN, while neutrophils, IL-6, and TNF-a were greatest in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of F344 and SD rats. The results show that F344 and SD rats respond in a similar fashion to viral infection while viral growth was more limited in BN rats and was associated with a different profile of pulmonary cells.