Establishing a Mouse Model for Sexual Transmission and Male Reproductive Tract Persistence of Ebola Virus

Abstract

Ebola virus disease (EVD) has resulted in the death of over 15 000 people since its discovery in 1976. At least 1 incident of re- emergence of EVD has been associated with persistent male reproductive tract infection in a patient surviving EVD greater than 500 days prior. To date, animal models of Ebola virus (EBOV) infection have failed to fully characterize the pathogenesis of reproductive tract infection. Furthermore, no animal model of sexual transmission of EBOV exists. In this study, we describe a roadmap to modeling sexual transmission of EBOV using a mouse-adapted EBOV isolate in immunocompetent male mice and female Ifnar-/- mice.