Influenza A and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus co-infection in rhesus macaques – A model of severe pneumonia

Abstract

This was the first nonhuman primate study of influenza and bacterial co-infection where high-resolution computed tomography scanning of the lungs was used to quantitatively assess pneumonia over the course of illness and where hypoxemia was correlated with pneumonia severity. With additional validation this model may serve as a pathway for regulatory approval of vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of severe influenza pneumonia.