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Updated: Apr 22, 2026
Modeling Dysplastic and Functional Lung Alveolar Repair after Influenza Infection
Published on: September 19, 2025
Acute lung injury induced by H9N2 virus in mice
Yan Li1, Yunfeng Shan2, Ying Chi2
1Department of Histology, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China.
Background:
H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have repeatedly caused infections in mammals even humans in many countries. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the acute lung injury (ALI) caused by H9N2 viral infection in mice.
Methods:
Six- to eight- week-old female SPF C57BL/6 mice were infected intranasally with 1 × 10(4) MID50 of A/HONG KONG/2108/2003 [H9N2 (HK)] virus. Clinical signs, pathological changes, virus titration in tissues of mice, arterial blood gas, and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum were observed at different time points after AIV infection.
Results:
H9N2-AIV-infected mice exhibited severe respiratory syndrome, with a mortality rate of 50%. Lung histopathological changes in infected mice included diffuse pneumonia, alveolar damage, inflammatory cellular infiltration, interstitial and alveolar edema, and hemorrhage. In addition, H9N2 viral infection resulted in severe progressive hypoxemia, lymphopenia, and a significant increase in interleukin 1, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor, and interferon in BALF and serum.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that H9N2 viral infection induces a typical ALI in mice that resembles the common features of ALI. Our data may facilitate the future studies of potential avian H9N2 disease in humans.
