Establishment of a mouse model for human rhinovirus infection.

We describe here a mouse model for rhinovirus infection using a variant of human rhinovirus type 2 (HRV2/H) which replicated 50- to 300-fold in the lungs of BALB/c mice. The variant virus differed only marginally from HRV2/H according to various biochemical parameters. Use of a photosensitive inoculum and pretreatment of the animals with actinomycin D were necessary for detection of reproducible and significant levels of virus replication. This mouse model of rhinovirus infection is the first example of human rhinovirus replication in a non-primate mammal, and provides an important link for the development of rhinovirus therapy or prophylaxis.