Long-term persistence of viral RNA and inflammation in the CNS of macaques exposed to aerosolized Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
- Authors
- Type
- Published Article
- Journal
- PLoS Pathogens
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 2022
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 6
- Identifiers
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009946
- PMID: 35696423
- PMCID: PMC9232170
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Disciplines
- License
- Unknown
Abstract
Although naturally transmitted by mosquito, Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV) can be highly infectious when aerosolized. In humans, VEEV are only rarely fatal but cause a severe, biphasic fever with neurological symptoms including severe headache, a stiff neck, and photophobia. We report here our efforts to further characterize the disease caused by VEEV in the cynomolgus macaque, using an infectious clone of a human VEEV isolate, to explore the long-term effects of VEEV infection, and the utility of radiotelemetry in continuous monitoring of electroencephalography and intracranial pressure to explore the relationship between fever, virus penetration of the brain, and neurological disease.
