A study of bronchial cilia in mice was carried out in order to obtain evidence as to how influenza viral infection of the mouse lung lowers rcsistancc to secondary pneumococcal pneumonia. Earlier work had shown that this effect is associated with the viral lesion rather than the presence of the virus per se and had suggested that viral infection damages antibacterial mechanisms of the lung (I). Particular attention was given to cilia because of the histologic evidence that influenza viral infection of the mouse causes necrosis of the bronchial epithelium (I-8). In addition, it has bccn shown that ciliary action removes foreign particles from the respiratory passages and therefore probably serves as an important mechanism of nativc resistance to bacterial infection of the respiratory tract (9-20). I When severe infection with influenza virus was induced in mice, it was found that active ciliary beat persisted in the bronchi of involved lungs and that cilia could be shown to be present in stained sections of the viral lesion. = These findings were unexpected because it was thought that this viral infection causes destruction of bronchial epithelial cells. For this reason, further experiments were done to clarify the nature of the viral lesion. The result of this investigation has revealed no evidence that actual destruction of the epithelium takes place. Instead of nuclear changes in the early viral lesion, basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies have bccn found. Evidence has also been obtained to indicate that portions of the cytoplasm of non-ciliated cells become detached and are shed into the lumen.
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND RESULTS
Wave-Like Movements of the Bronch~ ~In order to ascertain the effect of viral infection on broncial cilia, it was necessary to have a method for evaluation of ciliary action. A technique frequently