Mucosal Taï Forest virus infection causes disease in ferrets

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Animal Models

Background:

• Taï Forest virus (TAFV) is a filovirus that has caused human infections.
• Natural filovirus exposure likely occurs via mucosal routes, but animal models typically use intramuscular (IM) inoculation.
• Developing a TAFV ferret model using mucosal exposure is crucial for understanding pathogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a ferret disease model for TAFV infection via intramuscular (IM), intranasal (IN), and aerosol routes.
• To assess the potential cross-protection between TAFV and Ebola virus (EBOV) in ferrets.

Main Methods:

• Ferrets were inoculated with TAFV via IM, IN, or aerosol routes.
• Survivors of TAFV infection were rechallenged with EBOV via IM or IN routes.
• Disease severity, lethality, and protective effects were monitored.

Main Results:

• Intranasal and aerosol TAFV inoculation caused moderate to severe disease and partial lethality in ferrets, while IM inoculation resulted in minimal signs.
• Only ferrets that were intranasally inoculated with TAFV and subsequently intranasally inoculated with EBOV were protected from disease.
• Other ferrets succumbed to EBOV infection after rechallenge, indicating limited cross-protection.

Conclusions:

• Ferrets are a suitable animal model for assessing TAFV pathogenicity, particularly via mucosal exposure routes.
• Mucosal exposure to TAFV may induce cross-protection against EBOV, but this effect appears route-dependent.