title: Experimental Respiratory Infection of Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) With Ebola Virus Kikwit.
abstract: Ebola virus (EBOV) causes a highly infectious and lethal hemorrhagic fever in primates with high fatality rates during outbreaks and EBOV may be exploited as a potential biothreat pathogen. There is therefore a need to develop and license appropriate medical countermeasures against this virus. To determine whether the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) would be an appropriate model to assess vaccines or therapies against EBOV disease (EVD), initial susceptibility, lethality and pathogenesis studies were performed. Low doses of EBOV-Kikwit, between 4 and 27 times the 50% tissue culture infectious dose, were sufficient to cause a lethal, reproducible infection. Animals became febrile between days 5 and 6, maintaining a high fever before succumbing to EVD between 6 and 8 days after challenge. Typical signs of EVD were observed. Pathogenesis studies revealed that virus was isolated from the lungs of animals beginning on day 3 after challenge and from the liver, spleen and blood beginning on day 5. The most striking features were observed in animals that succumbed to infection, including high viral titers in all organs, increased levels of liver function enzymes and blood clotting times, decreased levels of platelets, multifocal moderate to severe hepatitis, and perivascular edema.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Group, CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury.
authors.forename: Sophie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Smither
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Group, CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Group, CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eastaugh
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Veterinary Laboratories Agency-Weybridge, Addlestone.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nunez
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Salguero
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Group, CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lever
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002144:Callithrix / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D046129:Ebola Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005260:Female; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D046129:Ebola Vaccines
keywords: Ebola virus; Ebola virus disease; aerosol; animal model; filovirus; human disease correlates; marmoset; nonhuman primate; pathology