To overcome the lack of good mouse models for Ebola studies, researchers have created a mouse that displays the hallmark symptoms of Ebola infection — potentially useful for drug and vaccine development.

A team led by Michael Katze at the University of Washington, Seattle, crossed eight strains of mice to produce a colony with a diverse genetic background. When infected with a mouse-adapted version of the Ebola virus, the mice exhibited a broad range of responses from no observable symptoms to severe haemorrhagic fever.

Surviving mice showed key physiological differences compared with susceptible animals, such as immune cells that function better. The researchers link these differences to variants of the genes Tie1 and Tek.

Science http://doi.org/ws4 (2014)