Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Filoviruses, including Ebola, have the potential to be transmitted via virus-laden droplets deposited onto mucus membranes. Protecting against such emerging pathogens will require understanding how they may transmit at mucosal surfaces and developing strategies to reinforce the airway mucus barrier. Here, we prepared Ebola pseudovirus (with Zaire strain glycoproteins) and used high-resolution multiple-particle tracking to track the motions of hundreds of individual pseudoviruses in fresh and undiluted human airway mucus isolated from extubated endotracheal tubes. We found that Ebola pseudovirus readily penetrates human airway mucus. Addition of ZMapp, a cocktail of Ebola-binding immunoglobulin G antibodies, effectively reduced mobility of Ebola pseudovirus in the same mucus secretions. Topical delivery of ZMapp to the mouse airways also facilitated rapid elimination of Ebola pseudovirus. Our work demonstrates that antibodies can immobilize virions in airway mucus and reduce access to the airway epithelium, highlighting topical delivery of pathogen-specific antibodies to the lungs as a potential prophylactic or therapeutic approach against emerging viruses or biowarfare agents.
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: David and Lucile Packard Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Boston University, National Institutes of Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Eshelman Institute for Innovation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OpenAlex ID: W2799948466