Dose-Dependent Response to Infection with Ebola Virus in the Ferret Model and Evidence of Viral Evolution in the Eye
Robert J. Watson, Julia A. Tree, Susan Fotheringham, Yper Hall, Xiaofeng Dong, Kimberley Steeds, Jade Gouriet, Francisco J. Salguero, Christopher Burton, James Pitman, Linda Easterbrook, Kevin S. Richards, Jane Burton, Kevin R. Bewley, Christine Bruce, Julian A. Hiscox, Miles W. Carroll, Simon G. P. Funnell
Abstract
Recent reemergence of Ebola in Guinea that caused over 28,000 cases between 2013 and 2016 has been linked to the original virus from that region. It appears the virus has remained in the region for at least 5 years and is likely to have been maintained in humans. Persistence of Ebola in areas of the body for extended periods of time has been observed, such as in the eye and semen. Despite the importance of reintroduction of Ebola from this route, such events are rare in the population, which makes studying medical interventions to clear persistent virus difficult. We studied various doses of Ebola in ferrets and detected virus in the eyes of most ferrets. We believe this model will enable the study of medical interventions that promote clearance of Ebola virus from sites that promote persistence.