In Vivo Imaging of Nipah Virus Infection in Small Animal Rodent Models

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• In vivo imaging systems (IVIS) enable non-invasive monitoring of infectious disease progression in animal models.
• Nipah virus (NiV) poses a significant public health threat, necessitating advanced diagnostic and monitoring tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe protocols for utilizing bioluminescent or fluorescent reporter-expressing recombinant henipaviruses for imaging NiV infection.
• To enable spatial and temporal tracking of NiV infection in vivo and in ex vivo tissues.

Main Methods:

• Development of recombinant henipaviruses encoding bioluminescent (luciferase) or fluorescent reporter proteins.
• Application of IVIS to detect light emission from infected animals following substrate administration (for bioluminescence) or inherent fluorescence.
• Imaging of both live animals (in vivo) and harvested tissues (ex vivo).

Main Results:

• Bioluminescent and fluorescent reporters successfully enabled detection and monitoring of NiV infection.
• IVIS allowed for non-invasive, longitudinal tracking of viral spread within individual animals.
• Ex vivo imaging provided detailed spatial information on viral distribution in tissues.

Conclusions:

• Recombinant viruses with reporter proteins are effective tools for in vivo and ex vivo imaging of NiV infection.
• These imaging protocols enhance the study of NiV pathogenesis and antiviral strategies.
• IVIS offers a powerful platform for understanding the dynamics of henipavirus infections.