Parenteral fluids do not affect pulmonary immune responses to influenza or susceptibility to secondary bacterial pneumonia in mice

Animal models of viral respiratory disease often use weight loss as a marker of disease severity; however, this may relate to dehydration and malnutrition that would be corrected clinically. We tested whether parenteral fluid therapy improved weight loss from influenza infection. BALB /c and C57 BL /6 mice were infected with A / X 31 ( H 3 N 2) influenza and randomized to intraperitoneal fluid therapy. Blood glucose was also measured post‐viral infection on day 3 and 6 in BALB /c mice and on day 6 in C 57 BL /6 mice. Parenteral fluids did not alter weight loss or the immunological response to infection, and glucose levels were not abnormal.