Exposure of rhesus monkeys to cowpox virus Brighton Red by large-particle aerosol droplets results in an upper respiratory tract disease

J Gen Virol. 2016 Aug;97(8):1942-1954. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.000501. Epub 2016 May 9.

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that small-particle (0.5-3.0 µm) aerosol infection of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with cowpox virus (CPXV)-Brighton Red (BR) results in fulminant respiratory tract disease characterized by severe lung parenchymal pathology but only limited systemic virus dissemination and limited classic epidermal pox-like lesion development (Johnson et al., 2015). Based on these results, and to further develop CPXV as an improved model of human smallpox, we evaluated a novel large-particle aerosol (7.0-9.0 µm) exposure of rhesus monkeys to CPXV-BR and monitored for respiratory tract disease by serial computed tomography (CT). As expected, the upper respiratory tract and large airways were the major sites of virus-induced pathology following large-particle aerosol exposure. Large-particle aerosol CPXV exposure of rhesus macaques resulted in severe upper airway and large airway pathology with limited systemic dissemination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Aerosols*
  • Animals
  • Cowpox / pathology*
  • Cowpox / virology*
  • Cowpox virus / pathogenicity*
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnostic imaging
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / pathology*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / virology*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Aerosols