SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in the North American deer mouse

Deer mice are natural hosts for a number of human pathogens. Here, Griffin et al. report that intranasal exposure of the North American deer mouse to SARS-CoV-2 results in virus replication and shedding, despite causing only mild or asymptomatic illness. Additionally, infected deer mice can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to naïve deer mice

Correction to: Impact of intensive care unit supportive care on the physiology of Ebola virus disease in a universally lethal non-human primate model

Please note that four authors (Logan Banadyga, Alixandra Albietz, Brad Pickering, and Gary Wong) have been erroneously omitted from the author list in the published original article [1]

Characterization of Ebola Virus Risk to Bedside Providers in an Intensive Care Environment

Background: The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa recapitulated that nosocomial spread of Ebola virus could occur and that health care workers were at particular risk including notable cases in Europe and North America. These instances highlighted the need for centers to better prepare for potential Ebola virus cases; including understanding how the virus spreads and which interventions pose the greatest risk. Methods: We created a fully equipped intensive care unit (ICU), within a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) laboratory, and infected multiple sedated non-human primates (NHPs) with Ebola virus. While providing bedside care, we sampled blood, urine, and gastric residuals; as well as buccal, ocular, nasal, rectal, and skin swabs, to assess the risks associated with routine care. We also assessed the physical environment at end-point. Results: Although viral RNA was detectable in blood as early as three days post-infection, it was not detectable in the urine, gastric fluid, or swabs until late-stage disease. While droplet spread and fomite contamination were present on a few of the surfaces that were routinely touched while providing care in the ICU for the infected animal, these may have been abrogated through good routine hygiene practices. Conclusions: Overall this study has helped further our understanding of which procedures may pose the highest risk to healthcare providers and provides temporal evidence of this over the clinical course of disease