Structural changes in the liver of mice infected with avian influenza virus subtype H5N1

Intranasal infection of male outbred rats with isolate of influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/Gs/Krasnoozerskoye/627/05) from the Novosibirsk region was followed by high mortality of experimental animals. Morphological study of liver samples revealed subtotal destructive changes in the liver parenchyma (proteinosis and centrolobular necroses), which was related to hemodynamic disorders and cytokine dysregulation. The decrease in reparative activity of hepatocytes was probably followed by hepatocellular failure and contributed to high mortality rate from this infection (up to 85%).