DBA/2 mouse as an animal model for anti-influenza drug efficacy evaluation

Jin Il Kim, Sehee Park, Sangmoo Lee, Ilseob Lee, Jun Heo, Min Woong Hwang, Joon Yong Bae, Donghwan Kim, Seok Il Jang, Mee Sook Park, Man Seong Park

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Influenza viruses are seasonally recurring human pathogens. Vaccines and antiviral drugs are available for influenza. However, the viruses, which often change themselves via antigenic drift and shift, demand constant efforts to update vaccine antigens every year and develop new agents with broad-spectrum antiviral efficacy. An animal model is critical for such efforts. While most human influenza viruses are unable to kill BALB/c mice, some strains have been shown to kill DBA/2 mice without prior adaptation. Therefore, in this study, we explored the feasibility of employing DBA/2 mice as a model in the development of anti-influenza drugs. Unlike the BALB/c strain, DBA/2 mice were highly susceptible and could be killed with a relatively low titer (50% DBA/2 lethal dose = 102.83 plaque-forming units) of the A/Korea/01/2009 virus (2009 pandemic H1N1 virus). When treated with a neuraminidase inhibitor, oseltamivir phosphate, infected DBA/2 mice survived until 14 days post-infection. The reduced morbidity of the infected DBA/2 mice was also consistent with the oseltamivir treatment. Taking these data into consideration, we propose that the DBA/2 mouse is an excellent animal model to evaluate antiviral efficacy against influenza infection and can be further utilized for combination therapies or bioactivity models of existing and newly developed anti-influenza drugs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)866-871
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Microbiology
Volume51
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013 Dec

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by grants from the Korea Healthcare Technology R&D Project of the Ministry of Health & Welfare (Grant No. A103001), the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (Grant No. 2007-0052178), and the Hallym University Specialization Fund (HRF-S-41).

Keywords

  • DBA/2 mouse
  • adaptation
  • animal model
  • antiviral
  • influenza virus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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