Now the runny nose can be studied on mice

Specialists from Imperial College London have bred mice capable of suffering from rhinovirus infection. Previously, the study of pathogenesis and the search for treatments for "contagious rhinitis" were difficult, since the virus could only affect humans and higher primates, the journal Nature Medicine reports.

Rhinoviruses enter the human body through the respiratory tract. Ninety out of a hundred known subtypes of rhinoviruses, before entering the cells, connect to a special receptor located on their surface. In mice, this receptor has a slightly different structure, which prevents the attachment of the virus and its penetration into the cell.

Scientists led by Sebastian Johnston have modified a mouse receptor to make it look like a human one. As a result, mice acquired the ability to become infected with rhinovirus infection, the researchers reported.

Rhinovirus infection is a type of cold, the main symptom of which is a severe runny nose in combination with normal or slightly elevated body temperature. In addition, rhinoviruses can cause exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The appearance of mouse models of rhinovirus infection will allow the development of new methods of treating these diseases, the researchers believe.

Copper news based on the materials of the Daily Mail: The miracle mouse that could cure our sniffles

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru05.02.2008