Mayaro virus pathogenesis and immunity in rhesus macaques

by Whitney C. Weber, Caralyn S. Labriola, Craig N. Kreklywich, Karina Ray, Nicole N. Haese, Takeshi F. Andoh, Michael Denton, Samuel Medica, Magdalene M. Streblow, Patricia P. Smith, Nobuyo Mizuno, Nina Frias, Miranda B. Fisher, Aaron M. Barber-Axthelm, Kimberly Chun, Samantha Uttke, Danika Whitcomb, Victor DeFilippis, Shauna Rakshe, Suzanne S. Fei, Michael K. Axthelm, Jeremy V. Smedley, Daniel N. Streblow Mayaro virus (MAYV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes debilitating and persistent arthritogenic disease. While MAYV was previously reported to infect non-human primates (NHP), characterization of MAYV pathogenesis is currently lacking. Therefore, in this study we characterized MAYV infection and immunity in rhesus macaques. To inform the selection of a viral strain for NHP experiments, we evaluated five MAYV strains in C57BL/6 mice and showed that MAYV strain BeAr505411 induced robust tissue dissemination and disease. Three male rhesus macaques were subcutaneously challenged with 105 plaque-forming units of this strain into the arms. Peak plasma viremia occurred at 2 days post-infection (dpi). NHPs were taken to necropsy at 10 dpi to assess viral dissemination, which included the muscles and joints, lymphoid tissues, major organs, male reproductive tissues, as well as peripheral and central nervous system tissues. Histological examination demonstrated that MAYV infection was associated with appendicular joint and muscle inflammation as well as presence of pe...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research