C57BL/6 mice were inoculated intranasally (50 microl) with serial 10-fold dilution of HAB/01 H5N1 virus. Three and five days later, three mice of each group were euthanized. Lung injury was assessed by observation of lung histopathology, virus titers and MCD50 were also measured. Our data showed that H5N1 viral infection in mice resulted in mainly epithelial injury and interstitial pneumonia, featuring significant weight loss, dramatically increased lung wet weight:body weight ratio, inflammatory cellular infiltration, alveolar and interstitial edema, hemorrhage in lungs with high virus titers, and MCD50 was 10(-6.5)/ 0.05 mL. These results suggested that a mouse model of H5N1 viral infection was successfully established which may benefit study of H5N1 avian influenza virus and pathogenic mechanism of host.