Experimental viral lung fibrosis. Quantitative study of the relationships between cell accumulations and fibrillogenesis.

The relationships between mesenchymal lung cell accumulations and reticulinic fibrillogenesis were analysed morphologically and quantitatively during the development of a viral infection in the rabbit lung, induced by intranasal administration of influenza A2 virus. Cells and fibrils accumulated in the alveolar walls and in the interlobular areas of the lung were counted during the evolution of the experiment and statistically analysed. A significant statistical correlation between lung cell accumulations and fibrillogenesis could be demonstrated during the development of viral lung fibrosis.