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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 74(6), 2006, pp. 1096-1102
Copyright © 2006 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Right arrow Arenaviruses

CLINICAL LABORATORY, VIROLOGIC, AND PATHOLOGIC CHANGES IN HAMSTERS EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH PIRITAL VIRUS (ARENAVIRIDAE): A RODENT MODEL OF LASSA FEVER

ELENA SBRANA, ROSA I. MATEO, SHU-YUAN XIAO, VSEVOLOD L. POPOV, PATRICK C. NEWMAN, AND ROBERT B. TESH*
Department of Pathology and Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

The clinical laboratory, virologic, and pathologic changes occurring in hamsters after infection with Pirital virus (Arenaviridae) are described. Pirital virus infection in the hamsters was characterized by high titered viremia, leukocytosis, coagulopathy, pulmonary hemorrhage and edema, hepatocellular and splenic necrosis, and marked elevation of serum transaminase levels. All of the animals died within 9 days. The clinical and histopathological findings in the Pirital virus–infected hamsters were very similar to those reported in severe human cases of Lassa fever, suggesting that this new animal model could serve as a low-cost and relatively safe alternative for studying the pathogenesis and therapy of Lassa fever.

Received January 18, 2006. Accepted for publication February 17, 2006.

Acknowledgment: The authors thank Dora Salinas for help in preparing the manuscript.

Financial support: This work was supported by National Institutes of Health contracts N01-A125489 and N01-A130027.

* Address correspondence to Robert B. Tesh, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0609. E-mail: rtesh{at}utmb.edu

Authors’ addresses: Elena Sbrana, Rosa I. Mateo, Shu-Yuan Xiao, Vsevolod L. Popov, Patrick C. Newman, and Robert B. Tesh, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0609.

Reprint requests: Robert B. Tesh, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0609, E-mail: rtesh{at}utmb.edu.






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Copyright © 2006 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.