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1989-2003 Charite Berlin Mitte, 2003-2006 Bernhard-Nocht-Institut, 2008-2010 Universitätsklinikum Eppendorf, 2010-Jetzt Bernhard-Nocht-Institut
Several of the human-pathogenic arenaviruses cause hemorrhagic fever and have to be handled under biosafety level 4 conditions, including Lassa virus. Rapid and safe inactivation of specimens containing these viruses is fundamental to enable downstream processing for diagnostics or research under lower biosafety conditions. We established a protocol to test the efficacy of inactivation methods using the low-pathogenic Morogoro arenavirus as surrogate for the related highly pathogenic viruses. As the validation of chemical inactivation methods in cell culture systems is difficult due to cell toxicity of commonly used chemicals, we employed filter devices to remove the chemical and concentrate the virus after inactivation and before inoculation into cell culture. Viral replication in the cells was monitored over 4 weeks by using indirect immunofluorescence and immunofocus assay. The performance of the protocol was verified using published inactivation methods including chemicals and heat. Ten additional methods to inactivate virus in infected cells or cell culture supernatant were validated and shown to reduce virus titers to undetectable levels. In summary, we provide a robust protocol for the validation of chemical and physical inactivation of arenaviruses in cell culture, which can be readily adapted to different inactivation methods and specimen matrices.
Silke Olschewski; Anke Thielebein; Chris Hoffmann; Olivia Blake; Jonas Müller; Sabrina Bockholt; Elisa Pallasch; Julia Hinzmann; Stephanie Wurr; Neele Neddersen; Toni Rieger; Stephan Günther; Lisa Oestereich. Validation of Inactivation Methods for Arenaviruses. Viruses 2021, 13, 968 .
AMA StyleSilke Olschewski, Anke Thielebein, Chris Hoffmann, Olivia Blake, Jonas Müller, Sabrina Bockholt, Elisa Pallasch, Julia Hinzmann, Stephanie Wurr, Neele Neddersen, Toni Rieger, Stephan Günther, Lisa Oestereich. Validation of Inactivation Methods for Arenaviruses. Viruses. 2021; 13 (6):968.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSilke Olschewski; Anke Thielebein; Chris Hoffmann; Olivia Blake; Jonas Müller; Sabrina Bockholt; Elisa Pallasch; Julia Hinzmann; Stephanie Wurr; Neele Neddersen; Toni Rieger; Stephan Günther; Lisa Oestereich. 2021. "Validation of Inactivation Methods for Arenaviruses." Viruses 13, no. 6: 968.
Natural hosts of most arenaviruses are rodents. The human-pathogenic Lassa virus and several non-pathogenic arenaviruses such as Morogoro virus (MORV) share the same host species, namely Mastomys natalensis (M. natalensis). In this study, we investigated the history of infection and virus transmission within the natural host population. To this end, we infected M. natalensis at different ages with MORV and measured the health status of the animals, virus load in blood and organs, the development of virus-specific antibodies, and the ability of the infected individuals to transmit the virus. To explore the impact of the lack of evolutionary virus–host adaptation, experiments were also conducted with Mobala virus (MOBV), which does not share M. natalensis as a natural host. Animals infected with MORV up to two weeks after birth developed persistent infection, seroconverted and were able to transmit the virus horizontally. Animals older than two weeks at the time of infection rapidly cleared the virus. In contrast, MOBV-infected neonates neither developed persistent infection nor were able to transmit the virus. In conclusion, we demonstrate that MORV is able to develop persistent infection in its natural host, but only after inoculation shortly after birth. A related arenavirus that is not evolutionarily adapted to M. natalensis is not able to establish persistent infection. Persistently infected animals appear to be important to maintain virus transmission within the host population.
Chris Hoffmann; Stephanie Wurr; Elisa Pallasch; Sabrina Bockholt; Toni Rieger; Stephan Günther; Lisa Oestereich. Experimental Morogoro Virus Infection in Its Natural Host, Mastomys natalensis. Viruses 2021, 13, 851 .
AMA StyleChris Hoffmann, Stephanie Wurr, Elisa Pallasch, Sabrina Bockholt, Toni Rieger, Stephan Günther, Lisa Oestereich. Experimental Morogoro Virus Infection in Its Natural Host, Mastomys natalensis. Viruses. 2021; 13 (5):851.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChris Hoffmann; Stephanie Wurr; Elisa Pallasch; Sabrina Bockholt; Toni Rieger; Stephan Günther; Lisa Oestereich. 2021. "Experimental Morogoro Virus Infection in Its Natural Host, Mastomys natalensis." Viruses 13, no. 5: 851.