Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental MedicineViral pneumonia with rhinovirus (HRV) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infection of the lungs which is often asymptomatic or associated with a simple common cold in immunocompetent adults. In immunocompromised patients or people suffering from chronic respiratory disorders such as asthma or COPD, however, viral infection can induce serious worsening of symptoms. RSV is the major cause of severe respiratory infection in infants.
We can mimic viral pneumoniae in our laboratories using the most common viruses HRV1b and RSV. Infection of mice with these viruses has been shown to reproduce symptoms of mild pneumonia with inflammation and induction of the anti-viral host response. The experimental models are highly controlled and standardized and suitable for in-vivo efficacy testing of anti-viral therapeutics or immunomodulatory compounds targeting the host response.
