Construction and validation of a mouse model for studying severe human adenovirus infections

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are highly contagious pathogens with various genotypes implicated in acute respiratory disease (ARD) and linked to fatality, especially in immunosuppressed patients, young children, and military recruits. Currently, no vaccines or specific drugs are approved for clinical use. The hosts of adenoviruses are strictly species-specific, which strongly limits the development of vaccines and drugs against HAdVs. In this study, immunocompetent BALB/c mice were challenged with different doses of human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV-5) via tail intravenous injection (i.v.). All mice challenged with a high dose of HAdV-5 (3.2 ​× ​10