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Updated: May 29, 2026
A Murine Model of Dengue Virus-induced Acute Viral Encephalitis-like Disease
Published on: April 28, 2019
A small nonhuman primate model for filovirus-induced disease
Ricardo Carrion1, Youngtae Ro, Kareema Hoosien
1Department of Virology and Immunology, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, 7620 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA. carrion@TxBiomed.org
Abstract:
Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus are members of the filovirus family and induce a fatal hemorrhagic disease in humans and nonhuman primates with 90% case fatality. To develop a small nonhuman primate model for filovirus disease, common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) were intramuscularly inoculated with wild type Marburgvirus Musoke or Ebolavirus Zaire. The infection resulted in a systemic fatal disease with clinical and morphological features closely resembling human infection. Animals experienced weight loss, fever, high virus titers in tissue, thrombocytopenia, neutrophilia, high liver transaminases and phosphatases and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Evidence of a severe disseminated viral infection characterized principally by multifocal to coalescing hepatic necrosis was seen in EBOV animals. MARV-infected animals displayed only moderate fibrin deposition in the spleen. Lymphoid necrosis and lymphocytic depletion observed in spleen. These findings provide support for the use of the common marmoset as a small nonhuman primate model for filovirus induced hemorrhagic fever.
Insights
Common marmosets infected with Marburgvirus or Ebolavirus developed fatal hemorrhagic disease, closely mimicking human filovirus infections. This establishes the marmoset as a valuable small nonhuman primate model for studying filovirus diseases.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Primate Models
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Filoviruses, including Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus, cause severe hemorrhagic fever with high mortality in humans and primates.
- Existing nonhuman primate models are often large and costly, necessitating smaller alternatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) as a small nonhuman primate model for filovirus disease.
- To characterize the clinical and pathological outcomes of Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus infection in marmosets.
Main Methods:
- Common marmosets were intramuscularly inoculated with wild-type Marburgvirus Musoke or Ebolavirus Zaire.
- Clinical signs, virological parameters, and pathological changes were monitored and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Infection led to systemic fatal disease with clinical and morphological features similar to human filovirus infections.
- Marmosets exhibited weight loss, fever, high viral titers, thrombocytopenia, neutrophilia, elevated liver enzymes, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
- Ebolavirus infection caused severe hepatic necrosis, while Marburgvirus infection resulted in splenic fibrin deposition, lymphoid necrosis, and lymphocytic depletion.
Conclusions:
- The common marmoset serves as a suitable small nonhuman primate model for filovirus-induced hemorrhagic fever.
- This model recapitulates key aspects of human filovirus disease, aiding in research and countermeasure development.
