A Mouse Model of Picornavirus-induced Airway Infection and Inflammation

Mice inoculated with attenuated mengovirus, compared with those inoculated with vehicle or UV-inactivated virus, shed infectious virus for 5 days, had peribronchiolar, perivascular, and alveolar cellular infiltrates, had significantly elevated (p < 0.05) levels of BAL neutrophils, neutrophil chemoattractant CXCR2 ligands (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5), other chemokines/cytokines upregulated during rhinovirus infections (CXCL10, CCL2, and interferon-α, -β, and -λ), and exhibited significant increases (p < 0.05) in BAL fluid myeloperoxidase levels and wet-dry lung weight ratios, indicating neutrophil activation and airway injury, respectively.