Treatment with broadly neutralizing influenza antibodies reduces severity of secondary pneumococcal pneumonia in mice.
van Someren Gréve F., van der Sluijs KF., Tuip AM., Schultz MJ., de Jong MD., Juffermans NP.
Secondary bacterial pneumonia is a frequent complication of influenza, associated with high morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that treatment with neutralizing influenza A antibody AT10_002 protects against severe secondary pneumococcal infection in a mouse model of influenza A infection. Influenza A (H3N2) virus-infected male C57Bl6 mice were treated intravenously with either AT10_002 or a control 2 days postinfection. Seven days later, both groups were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and killed 18 hours later. Mice receiving AT10_002 showed less loss of bodyweight compared with controls (+1% vs -12%, P 1 vs 2.5 × 105 colony-forming units per mg; P