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Updated: May 18, 2026
Influenza A Virus Studies in a Mouse Model of Infection
Published on: September 7, 2017
Immunization with live virus vaccine protects highly susceptible DBA/2J mice from lethal influenza A H1N1 infection
Leonie Dengler1, Mathias May, Esther Wilk
1Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Inhoffenstr. 7, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Background:
The mouse represents an important model system to study the host response to influenza A infections and to evaluate new prevention or treatment strategies. We and others reported that the susceptibility to influenza A virus infections strongly varies among different inbred mouse strains. In particular, DBA/2J mice are highly susceptible to several influenza A subtypes, including human isolates and exhibit severe symptoms after infection with clinical isolates.
Findings:
Upon intra-muscular immunization with live H1N1 influenza A virus (mouse-adapted PR8M, and 2009 pandemic human HA04), DBA/2J mice mounted virus-specific IgG responses and were protected against a subsequent lethal challenge. The immune response and rescue from death after immunization in DBA/2J was similar to those observed for C57BL/6J mice.
Conclusions:
DBA/2J mice represent a suitable mouse model to evaluate virulence and pathogenicity as well as immunization regimes against existing and newly emerging human influenza strains without the need for prior adaptation of the virus to the mouse.
