Objective To establish a tree shrew model of H1N1 influenza virus infection, and to explore the dynamics of influenza virus and its distribution in respiratory tissues.
Methods Twenty-four adult tree shrew aged 3-3.5 years old, half male and half male, were randomly divided into blank group (group B) and model group (group M), 12 each, using H1N1 influenza virus 600 μL (1 × 106 8 TCID50 / 0.1 mL) were infected with M group tree shrew through the nasal cavity, and the rectal temperature was measured every morning during the period of -3 to 10 days, and throat swabs, nasal swabs and blood samples were collected at the same time to determine the viral load. And the neutralizing antibodies against influenza in the blood of 2, 4 and 7 days were determined. On 2, 3, 5, and 10 days, 3 tree shrews were randomly killed, and turbinate, trachea, pharynx and lung tissues were collected for viral load detection, and 3, 5, and 10 days were taken for pathological detection.
Results The tree shrew in group M showed clinical symptoms such as disheveled coat, loss of appetite, slow movement, increased body temperature, and increased nasopharyngeal secretions; the viral load could be detected in the respiratory tract at 1 day after infection, and the virus appeared in the blood at 3 days after infection. The pathological results showed that there were some degree of pathological changes in the turbinate, pharynx, trachea and lung tissue.
Conclusion The clinical symptoms of tree shrew infected with influenza virus are very similar to those of humans. The established influenza tree shrew model provides a valuable tool for studying the pathogenesis of influenza and evaluating anti-influenza drugs.