Influenza virus directly infects, inflames, and resides in the arteries of atherosclerotic and normal mice.

Objective: Influenza can trigger heart attacks, and vaccination against influenza reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. Currently, it is believed that influenza virus in general does not disseminate to extra-pulmonary tissues. We assessed the vascular effects of influenza infection and whether the virus can directly infect atherosclerotic arteries in mice.

Contrasting effects of type I interferon as a mucosal adjuvant for influenza vaccine in mice and humans.

To identify an adjuvant that enhances antibody responses in respiratory secretions to inactivated influenza virus vaccine (IVV), a comparison was made of responses to intranasal vaccinations of mice with IVV containing monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), type I interferon (IFN) or cholera toxin B (CTB). Antibody in nasal secretions and lung wash fluids from mice was increased after vaccination and lung virus was significantly reduced after challenge to a similar level in each adjuvant group. Interferon was selected for a trial in humans.

Evaluation of cotton rats as a model for severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Experimental studies were conducted to evaluate two species of cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus and Sigmodon fulviventer, as a model for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Blood and turbinate wash samples, and lung tissue were collected from each animal at different time points after SARS coronavirus (CoV) infection for determining the growth curve of virus, if any, by the standard infectivity assay in Vero E6 cells. In addition, sections of the lung, liver, spleen, and kidney were taken and used for histology analysis.

Chimeric coronavirus-like particles carrying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV) S protein protect mice against challenge with SCoV.

We tested the efficacy of coronavirus-like particles (VLPs) for protecting mice against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV) infection. Coexpression of SCoV S protein and E, M and N proteins of mouse hepatitis virus in 293T or CHO cells resulted in the efficient production of chimeric VLPs carrying SCoV S protein. Balb/c mice inoculated with a mixture of chimeric VLPs and alum twice at an interval of four weeks were protected from SCoV challenge, as indicated by the absence of infectious virus in the lungs.

Protection against influenza infection by cytokine-enhanced aerosol genetic immunization.

Background: Conventional vaccine development for newly emerging pandemic influenza virus strains would likely take too long to prevent devastating global morbidity and mortality. If DNA vaccines can be distributed and delivered efficiently, genetic immunization could be an attractive solution to this problem, since plasmid DNA is stable, easily engineered to encode new protein antigens, and able to be quickly produced in large quantities.

Methods: We compared two novel genetic immunization methods in a mouse model of influenza to evaluate protective effects: aerosol delivery of polyethylenimine (PEI)-complexed hemagglutinin (HA)-expressing plasmid and intravenous (IV) delivery of the plasmid complexed with macroaggregated albumin/PEI.