A pigtailed macaque model of Kyasanur Forest disease virus and Alkhurma hemorrhagic disease virus pathogenesis

PLoS Pathog. 2021 Dec 2;17(12):e1009678. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009678. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV) and the closely related Alkhurma hemorrhagic disease virus (AHFV) are emerging flaviviruses that cause severe viral hemorrhagic fevers in humans. Increasing geographical expansion and case numbers, particularly of KFDV in southwest India, class these viruses as a public health threat. Viral pathogenesis is not well understood and additional vaccines and antivirals are needed to effectively counter the impact of these viruses. However, current animal models of KFDV pathogenesis do not accurately reproduce viral tissue tropism or clinical outcomes observed in humans. Here, we show that pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) infected with KFDV or AHFV develop viremia that peaks 2 to 4 days following inoculation. Over the course of infection, animals developed lymphocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated liver enzymes. Infected animals exhibited hallmark signs of human disease characterized by a flushed appearance, piloerection, dehydration, loss of appetite, weakness, and hemorrhagic signs including epistaxis. Virus was commonly present in the gastrointestinal tract, consistent with human disease caused by KFDV and AHFV where gastrointestinal symptoms (hemorrhage, vomiting, diarrhea) are common. Importantly, RNAseq of whole blood revealed that KFDV downregulated gene expression of key clotting factors that was not observed during AHFV infection, consistent with increased severity of KFDV disease observed in this model. This work characterizes a nonhuman primate model for KFDV and AHFV that closely resembles human disease for further utilization in understanding host immunity and development of antiviral countermeasures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cytokines / blood
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / genetics
  • Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / immunology
  • Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / pathogenicity*
  • Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / immunology
  • Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / pathology
  • Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / virology*
  • Female
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / immunology
  • Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / pathology
  • Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / virology*
  • Humans
  • Lymph Nodes / virology
  • Macaca nemestrina*
  • Vero Cells
  • Viremia

Substances

  • Cytokines

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (F.B. and S.M.B). The Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO) receives operational funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation - Major Science Initiatives Fund and from the Government of Saskatchewan through Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture (A.L.R.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.