Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression

Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) infection is a reference animal model for human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), a leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children under 5 years of age and in the elderly. This longitudinal study employed necropsy to examine macroscopic lesions, histolog...

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Main Authors: Etienne Levy, Gautier Gilliaux, Michaël Sarlet, Daniel Desmecht, Anne-Sophie Van Laere
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Viruses
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/4/548
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author Etienne Levy
Gautier Gilliaux
Michaël Sarlet
Daniel Desmecht
Anne-Sophie Van Laere
author_facet Etienne Levy
Gautier Gilliaux
Michaël Sarlet
Daniel Desmecht
Anne-Sophie Van Laere
author_sort Etienne Levy
collection DOAJ
description Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) infection is a reference animal model for human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), a leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children under 5 years of age and in the elderly. This longitudinal study employed necropsy to examine macroscopic lesions, histological slides to assess microscopic lesions, and qRT-PCR to measure lung viral load and cytokine expression in PVM-infected mice from three different genetic backgrounds, spanning from day 1 to day 6 post-infection. Our analysis reveals a strong correlation between viral load and microscopic lesions across the 129/Sv, BALB/c, and SJL/J mouse lines, indicating that PVM pathogenicity is partially driven by the virus itself. Additionally, a significant correlation between cytokine levels and lesion severity was observed in 129/Sv and BALB/c mice, suggesting an important role of cytokines in disease progression. This study emphasizes the interplay between viral load and cytokine-driven tissue damage, with genetic background significantly influencing disease outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-254dc5c520d849d7a096e8bd29de8a552025-08-20T02:18:11ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152025-04-0117454810.3390/v17040548Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine ExpressionEtienne Levy0Gautier Gilliaux1Michaël Sarlet2Daniel Desmecht3Anne-Sophie Van Laere4Department of Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumDepartment of Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumDepartment of Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumDepartment of Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumDepartment of Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumPneumonia virus of mice (PVM) infection is a reference animal model for human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), a leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children under 5 years of age and in the elderly. This longitudinal study employed necropsy to examine macroscopic lesions, histological slides to assess microscopic lesions, and qRT-PCR to measure lung viral load and cytokine expression in PVM-infected mice from three different genetic backgrounds, spanning from day 1 to day 6 post-infection. Our analysis reveals a strong correlation between viral load and microscopic lesions across the 129/Sv, BALB/c, and SJL/J mouse lines, indicating that PVM pathogenicity is partially driven by the virus itself. Additionally, a significant correlation between cytokine levels and lesion severity was observed in 129/Sv and BALB/c mice, suggesting an important role of cytokines in disease progression. This study emphasizes the interplay between viral load and cytokine-driven tissue damage, with genetic background significantly influencing disease outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/4/548pneumonia virus of micerespiratory syncytial viruscytokinemouse line
spellingShingle Etienne Levy
Gautier Gilliaux
Michaël Sarlet
Daniel Desmecht
Anne-Sophie Van Laere
Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
Viruses
pneumonia virus of mice
respiratory syncytial virus
cytokine
mouse line
title Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
title_full Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
title_fullStr Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
title_full_unstemmed Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
title_short Host-Strain-Specific Responses to Pneumonia Virus of Mice Infection: A Study of Lesions, Viral Load, and Cytokine Expression
title_sort host strain specific responses to pneumonia virus of mice infection a study of lesions viral load and cytokine expression
topic pneumonia virus of mice
respiratory syncytial virus
cytokine
mouse line
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/4/548
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