article · PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Monkeypox virus is a zoonotic pathogen endemic to Central and West Africa, but its natural transmission cycle and reservoir hosts remain unclear. African rope squirrels are suspected reservoir hosts based on prior serosurveillance. In this study, wild-caught rope squirrels were experimentally infected via intranasal and intradermal routes with a recombinant Central African viral strain expressing luciferase. Monitoring via bioluminescent imaging, viral culture, and real-time PCR revealed that infection caused mortality and moderate to severe disease, including dyspnoea, heavy nasal discharge, and widespread pox lesions. Both exposure routes resulted in high viremia, rapid systemic dissemination, and extended viral shedding that peaked at day six and persisted beyond day fifteen. An uninfected sentinel animal housed nearby also contracted severe disease, confirming that infected rope squirrels shed substantial quantities of virus and could act as transmission sources to humans and wildlife.
Monkeypox represents a major zoonotic threat in Central and West Africa, yet identifying the wildlife species that maintain and spread the virus has remained an enduring challenge. Demonstrating that African rope squirrels sustain systemic infection, develop severe symptoms, and shed high amounts of virus provides critical evidence to help public health officials monitor wildlife reservoirs and assess spillover risks to human populations.
This work represents early-stage laboratory research into disease transmission. While the abstract does not indicate an explicit commercialisation pathway, the established animal infection model and bioluminescent tracking method could be used by academic researchers and biopharmaceutical developers to evaluate future poxvirus therapeutics or vaccines in a relevant reservoir species.
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Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease endemic in Central and West Africa and is caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), the most virulent Orthopoxvirus affecting humans since the eradication of Variola virus (VARV). Many aspects of the MPXV transmission cycle, including the natural host of the virus, remain unknown. African rope squirrels (Funisciurus spp.) are considered potential reservoirs of MPXV, as serosurveillance data in Central Africa has confirmed the circulation of the virus in these rodent species [1,2]. In order to understand the tissue tropism and clinical signs associated with infection with MPXV in these species, wild-caught rope squirrels were experimentally infected via intranasal and intradermal exposure with a recombinant MPXV strain from Central Africa engineered to express the luciferase gene. After infection, we monitored viral replication and shedding via in vivo bioluminescent imaging, viral culture and real time PCR. MPXV infection in African rope squirrels caused mortality and moderate to severe morbidity, with clinical signs including pox lesions in the skin, eyes, mouth and nose, dyspnea, and profuse nasal discharge. Both intranasal and intradermal exposures induced high levels of viremia, fast systemic spread, and long periods of viral shedding. Shedding and luminescence peaked at day 6 post infection and was still detectable after 15 days. Interestingly, one sentinel animal, housed in the same room but in a separate cage, also developed severe MPX disease and was euthanized. This study indicates that MPXV causes significant pathology in African rope squirrels and infected rope squirrels shed large quantities of virus, supporting their role as a potential source of MPXV transmission to humans and other animals in endemic MPX regions.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005809
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