Submicroscopic Features of Bronchial Epithelium Damage in Mice After Intranasal Infection with Different H5N1 Influenza Virus Strains

Abstract

Influenza H5N1 virus is able to cause severe disease in humans and wide spectrum of animal and bird species. We examined time course changes of bronchi in mice after intranasal infection with influenza H5N1 virus strains having different pathogenicity for this animal species: А/Chicken/Kurgan/05/2005, A/Duck/Kurgan/08/2005 and A/Chicken/Suzdalka/Nov-11/2005. Replication of influenza H5N1 strains was revealed in mouse bronchial ciliated cells. Pathological changes of mice bronchi appearing after 24 h post infection and increasing during the disease have been described in all mice. Massive apoptosis of infected bronchial cells was found in mice infected with A/Chicken/Suzdalka/Nov-11/2005 strain. Signs of bronchial epithelium regeneration were observed in mice on days 7-8 post infection with strain A/Duck/Kurgan/08/2005 of H5N1 influenza virus.

Keywords

• H5N1
• influenza virus
• H5N1
• bronchial epithelium
• pathological changes