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Comparative Transcriptomics in Ebola Makona-Infected Ferrets, Nonhuman Primates, and Humans
Robert W Cross1,2, Emily Speranza3, Viktoriya Borisevich1,2
1Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|November 27, 2018
Summary
Ferrets infected with Ebola virus show a strong inflammatory response, similar to nonhuman primates and humans. This finding aids in understanding Ebola virus disease progression in animal models.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Comparative Pathology
- Genomics
Background:
- Domestic ferrets are a lethal model for human-pathogenic Ebolavirus species.
- Lack of reagents hindered systematic analysis of ferret host response.
- A draft ferret genome enables transcriptional analysis of disease models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comparatively analyze the host response in ferrets and nonhuman primates infected with Zaire ebolavirus (Makona variant).
- To assess the utility of ferrets as a model for Ebola virus infection by comparing transcriptomic data with nonhuman primates and human cases.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal blood sampling from ferrets and nonhuman primates infected with Zaire ebolavirus.
- Comparative transcriptomic analysis of host responses.
- Comparison with previously published human Ebola virus infection datasets.
Main Results:
- Both ferrets and nonhuman primates exhibited strong induction of proinflammatory and prothrombotic signaling pathways.
- Transcriptomic profiles in ferrets and nonhuman primates showed similarities.
- These profiles resembled those observed in fatal human Ebola virus infections.
Conclusions:
- The domestic ferret is a relevant model for studying Ebola virus pathogenesis.
- Transcriptional analysis reveals conserved host responses to Ebola virus infection across species.
- Findings support the use of ferrets for investigating Ebola virus disease mechanisms and potential therapeutics.
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