Treatment with Ad5-Porcine Interferon-α Attenuates Ebolavirus Disease in Pigs

Abstract

Under experimental conditions, pigs infected with Ebola Virus (EBOV) develop disease and can readily transmit the virus to non-human primates or pigs. In the event of accidental or intentional EBOV infection of domestic pigs, complex and time-consuming safe depopulation and carcass disposal are expected. Delaying or preventing transmission through a reduction in viral shedding is an absolute necessity to limit the spread of the virus. In this study, we tested whether porcine interferon-α or λ3 (porIFNα or porIFNλ3) delivered by a replication-defective human type 5 adenovirus vector (Ad5-porIFNα or Ad5-porIFNλ3) could limit EBOV replication and shedding in domestic pigs. Our results show that pigs pre-treated with Ad5-porIFNα did not develop measurable clinical signs, did not shed virus RNA, and displayed strongly reduced viral RNA load in tissues. A microarray analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells indicated that Ad5-porIFNα treatment led to clear upregulation in immune and inflammatory responses probably involved in protection against disease. Our results indicate that administration of Ad5-porIFNα can potentially be used to limit the spread of EBOV in pigs.