Assessment of viral load and time course of pulmonary inflammation in a murine model of H1N1 (PR8) influenza virus infection

Influenza virus infection in humans results in a respiratory disease that ranges in severity from sub-clinical infection to primary viral pneumonia. 40-60% of acute exacerbations in COPD are associated with respiratory virus infection; 85% of asthma attacks in children and 44% in adults are precipitated by upper respiratory tract infection. We studied the effect of a single intranasal inoculation of amantadine sensitive A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) [PR8] (4, 40 or 400 PFU) in mice and evaluated the viral pathogenicity and pulmonary inflammation over a 7-day time course.