title: Cellular changes in blood indicate severe respiratory disease during influenza infections in mice.
abstract: Influenza A infection is a serious threat to human and animal health. Many of the biological mechanisms of the host-pathogen-interactions are still not well understood and reliable biomarkers indicating the course of the disease are missing. The mouse is a valuable model system enabling us to study the local inflammatory host response and the influence on blood parameters under controlled circumstances. Here, we compared the lung and peripheral changes after PR8 (H1N1) influenza A virus infection in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice using virus variants of different pathogenicity resulting in non-lethal and lethal disease. We monitored hematological and immunological parameters revealing that the granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio in the blood represents an early indicator of severe disease progression already two days after influenza A infection in mice. These findings might be relevant to optimize early diagnostic options of severe influenza disease and to monitor successful therapeutic treatment in humans.
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Leonie
authors: L
authors: Dengler
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Nora
authors: N
authors: Kühn
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Dai-Lun
authors: DL
authors: Shin
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Bastian
authors: B
authors: Hatesuer
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany; University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America.
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Schughart
authors: Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Wilk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000473:pathology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index