Cynomolgus macaque model of H7N9 influenza infection. Macaca fascicularis

The objective of this study is to characterize the response to newly emerged, highly pathogenic H7N9 influenza virus isolated from human patients in 2013 in China. This study examines the pathogenesis of H7N9 influenza in cynomolgus macaques. The study compares lung lesions to adjacent right lower lobe lung tissue in animals necropsied at days 3 and 6 post-infection (n=4 animals/timepoint). 3-4 lesions from each animal were collected and equal amounts of pooled RNA from lesions from individual animals at each time point were used for microarray. Overall design: 8 cynomolgus macaques were infected via oral, intraocular, intranasal, and intratracheal administration of a combined total of 7x10^6 TCID50. Lungs, lung lesions, and trachea samples were collected from serial sacrifices of 4 animals each at day 3 and day 6. Infection produced a moderate-severe, self-limiting respiratory infection, and was not lethal. We performed microarray analysis (using Agilent Rhesus arrays) on all lungs, lung lesions, and trachea collected for the study.