Hemorrhagic Fever Disease in STAT-1 Knockout Mice Infected with Lujo Virus

Lujo virus (LUJV) is an arenavirus that causes Lujo Hemorrhagic Fever (LHF), a viral hemorrhagic fever that emerged in a 2007 outbreak in Zambia and South Africa with an 80% case fatality rate and evidence of human-to-human nosocomial transmission. There are no approved medical countermeasures for LHF, although several screens have identified lead antiviral compounds. The lack of accessible animal models limits the development of lead compounds and characterization of broadly protective anti-arenavirus compounds such as ribavirin for the treatment of LHF. Here, we present preliminary data characterizing the partially lethal disease caused by LUVJ in STAT-1 deficient mice. Several key hematological, clinical chemistry, and histologic findings common to LHF disease are recapitulated in this model. This work suggests that further characterization of LUJV infection in STAT-1 deficient mice may allow development of a model that would be instrumental in the development of medical countermeasures for LHF.