Scientists at Hebei Medical University in China have engineered a mutant virus using parts of the Ebola virus to study the disease and its symptoms. The study, published in Science Direct, involved injecting hamsters with the lethal virus, which resulted in their deaths within three days. The hamsters exhibited severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human Ebola patients, including multi-organ failure.
Engineering the virus
To conduct their research, the team used a contagious livestock disease virus and added a protein found in Ebola. This protein allows the virus to infect cells and spread throughout the human body. Some hamsters developed secretions in their eyeballs, impairing their vision and covering the surface of their eyes. Researchers indicated that these symptoms suggest a potential role for Syrian hamsters in studying optic nerve disorders caused by Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Addressing safety concerns
In light of concerns about lab safety following the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers emphasized their goal of finding appropriate animal models to safely mimic Ebola symptoms in a lab setting. Ebola virus research typically requires Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facilities, which are scarce worldwide. As an alternative, the Chinese scientists used vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), engineering it to carry Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), crucial for the virus to enter and infect host cells.
Study findings
The study subjects included five female and five male hamsters. Upon examining the organs of the deceased animals, researchers discovered that the virus had accumulated in various organs, including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, stomach, intestines, and brain. The researchers concluded that the experiment provided a rapid preclinical evaluation of medical countermeasures against Ebola under BLS-2 conditions.
The last major Ebola outbreak occurred between 2014 and 2016, affecting several West African countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This new research aims to advance the understanding and treatment of Ebola in a controlled laboratory environment.