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STAR Protocols Dec 2021The oral mucosa is an important site for virus infection and transmission, yet few animal models exist to examine the virology, pathology, and immunology of acute oral...
The oral mucosa is an important site for virus infection and transmission, yet few animal models exist to examine the virology, pathology, and immunology of acute oral mucosal viral infection. Here, we provide a protocol for infecting and imaging the inner lip (labial mucosa) of mice with the poxvirus vaccinia virus (VACV). Inoculation of the labial mucosa with a bifurcated needle results in viral replication and priming of an adaptive antiviral response that can be imaged using intravital microscopy. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Shannon et al. (2021).
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Mice; Mouth Mucosa; Poxviridae Infections; Vaccinia virus
PubMed: 34622218
DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100790 -
Immunology and Cell Biology 2007Variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is a member of the poxvirus family and one of the most virulent human pathogens known. Although smallpox was eradicated... (Review)
Review
Variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is a member of the poxvirus family and one of the most virulent human pathogens known. Although smallpox was eradicated almost 30 years ago, it is not understood why the mortality rates associated with the disease were high, why some patients recovered, and what constitutes an effective host response against infection. As variola virus infects only humans, our current understanding of poxvirus infections comes largely from historical clinical data from smallpox patients and from animal studies using closely related viruses such as ectromelia, myxoma and monkeypox. The outcome of an infection is determined by a complex interaction between the type of immune response mounted by the host and by evasion mechanisms that the virus has evolved to subvert it. Disease pathogenesis is also a function of both host and viral factors. Poxviruses are not only cytopathic, causing host tissue damage, but also encode an array of immunomodulatory molecules that affect the severity of disease. The ability of the host to control virus replication is therefore critical in limiting tissue damage. However, in addition to targeting virus, the immune response can inadvertently damage the host to such a degree that it causes illness and even death. There is growing evidence that many of the symptoms associated with serious poxvirus infections are a result of a 'cytokine storm' or sepsis and that this may be the underlying cause of pathology.
Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Immune System Diseases; Immunity, Cellular; Models, Biological; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections; Sepsis
PubMed: 17228320
DOI: 10.1038/sj.icb.7100033 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2004Concern regarding the use of variola and monkeypox viruses as bioterrorist agents has led to an increased study of orthopoxviruses to understand the molecular and... (Review)
Review
Concern regarding the use of variola and monkeypox viruses as bioterrorist agents has led to an increased study of orthopoxviruses to understand the molecular and cellular basis of pathogenesis and develop safe and effective antivirals and vaccines against smallpox. Crucial to these efforts is the availability of animal models, which are inexpensive, genetically homogeneous, and recapitulate the human disease. The popular small-animal orthopoxvirus models employ the inbred mouse as the host, the respiratory tract as the site of virus inoculation, and orthopoxviruses-vaccinia, cowpox, and ectromelia viruses-as surrogates for variola virus. Ectromelia virus is likely the best surrogate for variola virus in a mouse model, as it is infectious at very low doses of virus, and the mousepox disease is associated with high mortality in the susceptible A, BALB/c, and DBA/2 stains of mice, but causes an unapparent infection in the C57BL/6 mouse strain. This chapter describes an ectromelia virus respiratory infection model in the mouse.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections
PubMed: 15114022
DOI: 10.1385/1-59259-789-0:289 -
Comparative Medicine May 2019Pigeons () are used in biomedical research for studies of vision, cognition, neuronal pathways, and spatial orientation. Because there are few commercial laboratory...
Pigeons () are used in biomedical research for studies of vision, cognition, neuronal pathways, and spatial orientation. Because there are few commercial laboratory sources, research pigeons are typically acquired from local fancier breeders or bred onsite. For acquired pigeons, the health and vaccine status is often unknown. A juvenile pigeon, born onsite and living in an enclosed outdoor loft, presented with small, bleeding, wart-like lesions on the medial aspects of digits 1 and 4. Topical treatment was initiated. Within a week, 4 fledglings were reported for small, dark papular lesions on the face, head, neck, and beak, and shortly thereafter, 2 additional juvenile pigeons developed similar lesions. The fledglings were euthanized, and histologic examination revealed numerous intralesional eosinophilic cytoplasmic viral inclusions (Bollinger bodies) confirming a diagnosis of poxvirus infection, likely pigeon pox. Although usually self-limiting, pigeon pox can cause moderate to severe lesions in fledgling and juvenile birds. Vaccination with a modified live poxvirus labeled for chickens was used to create herd immunity to pigeon poxvirus. Since vaccination of our entire flock and implementation of more stringent health protocols, all lesions have resolved, and no new lesions have been noted.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Laboratory; Avipoxvirus; Bird Diseases; Chickens; Columbidae; Disease Outbreaks; Poxviridae Infections; Skin; Vaccination; Viral Vaccines
PubMed: 30885287
DOI: 10.30802/AALAS-CM-18-000074 -
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases Jan 2019Goatpox virus (GTPV) belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus associated with characteristic clinical lesions in fully susceptible breeds of sheep and goats. To date, there is...
Goatpox virus (GTPV) belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus associated with characteristic clinical lesions in fully susceptible breeds of sheep and goats. To date, there is no report of outbreaks of GTPV infection in any wild animals. This study reports the outbreak of GTPV infection in wild Red Serow (Capricornis rubidus.) in Mizoram, India. A total of 113 wild Serow carcasses were recovered from seven districts of Mizoram between May 2015 to October 2016. A postmortem revealed presumptive pox-like lesions. Clinical specimens (lung, skin, and trachea) were examined for the aetiological agents. GTPV could be isolated in PLT cells and confirmed in PCR assays by targeting RPO30 and P32 genes. The genetic and phylogenetic analysis reveled that over 99.8% sequence identity with GTPV from India and other parts of the world. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of GTPV infection in wild ruminants.
Topics: Animals; Capripoxvirus; Disease Outbreaks; India; Poxviridae Infections; Ruminants; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 30126058
DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12997 -
Journal of Infection in Developing... Jun 2008The presence of zoonotic poxviruses in nature represents a potential human health risk that has to be re-evaluated by health authorities not only in developing... (Review)
Review
The presence of zoonotic poxviruses in nature represents a potential human health risk that has to be re-evaluated by health authorities not only in developing countries, but also in many developed countries. For example, buffalopox virus infection remains to be a threat to humans and cattle in India, and monkeypox virus infection persists in several inhabited places in Africa and, more recently, in the USA. There are also a great number of zoonotic transmissions of cowpox virus from cats to humans in Europe. For almost a decade in Brazil, vaccinia-like viruses have been isolated from human and cattle infections. This review examines the ability of potentially pathogenic orthopoxviruses, including feral versions of vaccinia virus vaccine, to persist in nature and re-emerge for reasons we do not yet understand.
Topics: Animals; Developing Countries; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae Infections; Viral Vaccines; Zoonoses
PubMed: 19738346
DOI: 10.3855/jidc.258 -
Antiviral Research Jan 2003Several animal models using mice (most frequently), rabbits, or monkeys have been used to identify compounds active against orthopoxvirus infections. The treatment of... (Review)
Review
Several animal models using mice (most frequently), rabbits, or monkeys have been used to identify compounds active against orthopoxvirus infections. The treatment of vaccinia virus infections has been well studied in models involving infection of scarified skin or eyes, or resulting from intravenous, intraperitoneal, intracerebral, or intranasal virus inoculation. Cowpox virus has been used in intranasal or aerosol infection studies to evaluate the treatment of lethal respiratory infections. Rabbitpox, monkeypox, and variola viruses have been employed to a lesser extent than the other viruses in chemotherapy experiments. A review of the literature over the past 50 years has identified a number of compounds effective in treating one or more of these infections, which include thiosemicarbazones, nucleoside and nucleotide analogs, interferon, interferon inducers, and other unrelated compounds. Substances that appear to have the greatest potential as anti-orthopoxvirus agents are the acyclic nucleotides, (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine (cidofovir, HPMPC) and 1-[((S)-2-hydroxy-2-oxo-1,4,2-dioxaphosphorinan-5-yl)methyl]cytosine (cyclic HPMPC), and the acyclic nucleoside analog, 2-amino-7-[(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]purine (S2242). Other classes of compounds that have not been sufficiently studied in lethal infection models and deserve further consideration are thiosemicarbazones related to methisazone, and analogs of adenosine-N(1)-oxide and 1-(benzyloxy)adenosine.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Bioterrorism; Cidofovir; Cytosine; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Mice; Mice, SCID; Nucleosides; Organophosphonates; Organophosphorus Compounds; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae Infections; Rabbits; Smallpox; Thiosemicarbazones
PubMed: 12615302
DOI: 10.1016/s0166-3542(02)00199-7 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Apr 2012
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Brazil; Buffaloes; DNA, Viral; Female; Livestock; Orthopoxvirus; Population Surveillance; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 22469217
DOI: 10.3201/eid1804.111800 -
Medicina Clinica Nov 2015
Topics: Adult; Animals; Cattle; DNA, Viral; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; Dogs; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poxviridae Infections; Pseudocowpox Virus; Rural Population; Sheep; Skin Ulcer; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 25817446
DOI: 10.1016/j.medcli.2015.01.023 -
The New England Journal of Medicine Jan 2004
Topics: Adult; Congo; DNA, Viral; Diagnosis, Differential; Endemic Diseases; Female; Humans; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poxviridae Infections; Travel; Tumor Virus Infections; United States; Yatapoxvirus
PubMed: 14736928
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa031467