H5N1 Virus Attachment to Lower Respiratory Tract

ighly pathogenic avian influenza virus of the subtype H5N1 may cause in-fection of the lower respiratory tract (LRT) and severe pneumonia in humans (1). However, the cell types in the LRT to which the virus attaches are unknown for both humans and experimental animals. Although attachment is not the only factor required for virus replication, this information is important both to better understand the pathogenesis of H5N1 influenza and to assess the suitability of animal models. Therefore, we compared the pattern of H5N1 virus attachment to the LRT of humans and four animal species. Influenza viruses attach to host cells b