Deep learning-assisted, pathogenesis-informed lung histopathology scoring in preclinical mouse models of SARS-CoV-2...

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) cause viral pneumonia, yet their lung lesions evolve with distinct spatial organization and resolution-phase architecture. In preclinical murine studies, H&E histopathology is a primary endpoint, but burden-focused semiquantitative scoring can miss pathogen- and phase-specific differences in lesion topology, compartmental involvement, inflammatory organization, and repair. We aimed to define virus- and phase-specific morphologic signatures and translate them into a practical, pathogenesis-informed scoring guide, supported by whole-slide convolutional neural network (CNN) analysis with class activation mapping (CAM).

Mice were infected under standardized conditions and evaluated during the early, peak-injury, and late phases of infection, corresponding to 2~3, 5~8, and 14 days post-infection (dpi), respectively. Lungs were assessed by H&E with semiquantitative scoring and by immunostaining to map viral antigen distribution and epithelial tropism. Whole-slide CNN models were trained for virus- and phase-specific classification, and CAM localized discriminative regions.

Dose titration established reproducible lethal and sublethal infection conditions for both viruses. Viral antigen kinetics diverged, with SARS-CoV-2 peaking early and declining toward clearance by the resolution phase, whereas IAV peaked later and declined by the resolution phase, paralleling distinct injury-repair trajectories. CNN/CAM analysis distinguished virus- and phase-specific histologic patterns across the early, peak-injury, and resolution phases of infection and highlighted spatial signatures consistent with expert review. At the peak-injury phase, SARS-CoV-2 lungs showed broad alveolar/interstitial involvement, whereas IAV exhibited bronchocentric inflammatory organization. During the resolution phase, IAV showed prominent epithelial regeneration with remodeling-forward architecture, while SARS-CoV-2 more often retained localized residual inflammatory foci. Across both infections, tissue inflammatory composition shifted over time, with higher neutrophil representation during the peak-injury phase and a relative increase in lymphocytic representation during the resolution phase. Integrating lesion topology/distribution, edema, epithelial injury-regeneration, remodeling features, and lymphocyte predominance, we proposed a pathogen-resolved, phase-informed histopathology scoring guide with recommended evaluation windows for each model.

Together, these findings define virus- and phase-specific morphologic programs that inform respiratory virus pathogenesis in mice and can be translated into practical scoring criteria for preclinical respiratory virus studies.