Chinese Scientists Create Deadly Mutant Ebola Virus Strain

 

Scientists in Communist China have engineered a deadly mutant strain of the Ebola virus, according to reports.

The Chinese scientists revealed that lab tests of the new strain killed a group of hamsters.

The mutant strain was developed by a team of researchers at Hebei Medical University.

The team used a contagious disease of livestock and added a protein found in Ebola.

The Ebola protein allows the virus to infect cells and spread throughout the human body.

The group of hamsters that received the lethal injection “developed severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human Ebola patients,” the study shared.

The symptoms triggered by the virus included “multi-organ failure.”

One particularly horrific symptom saw the infected hamsters develop secretions in their eyes.

The secretion impaired their vision and scabbed over the surface of the eyeballs.

The researchers claim their goal was to find the right animal models that can safely mimic Ebola symptoms in a lab setting.

However, the experiment may spark fears of another lab leak.

The study suggested that infected hamsters could be a decent model for studying the spread and treatment of Ebola in the future.

Ebola needs to be handled in special high-security Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facilities, while many laboratories are only BLS-2.

To work around this in a lower security setting, scientists used a different virus called vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV).

They engineered the VSV to carry part of the Ebola virus that’s called glycoprotein (GP) which plays a crucial role in helping the virus enter and infect cells of its host.

By doing so, the scientists were able to take advantage of a loophole to skirt biosafety regulations.

The team studied five female and five male hamsters that were all three weeks old.

All female Syrian hamsters showed decreased rectal temperature and up to 18 percent weight loss – they all died between two and three days.

The five male hamsters lost 15 percent weight and succumbed to the disease at no later than three and a half days.

However, two male hamsters survived and gained 20 percent more weight than pre-infection.

The team harvested organs from the dead animals, finding the virus accumulated in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, intestines, and brain tissues.

The highest levels were found in the liver and lowest in the brain.

In the paper for the study, which was published in the Chinese journal Virologica Sinica, the team stated:

“It is a sign that 3-week-old Syrian hamsters infected with VSV-EBOV/GP have the possibility of playing a role in the study of optic nerve disorders caused by EVD.”

The team concluded that the infected hamsters showed a rapid onset of symptoms, shocked liver, systemic infection, and developed severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human EBOV patients.

They also noted that the experiments provided a rapid preclinical evaluation of medical countermeasures against Ebola under BLS-2 conditions.

The scientists concluded that the study was a success.

The last major outbreak of the Ebola virus occurred from 2014 to 2016 in several West African countries.

A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said the outbreak was deadly.

During those two years, more than 28,600 people were reportedly infected, and about 11,300 died.

The virus spread from West Africa to Europe and even to the United States.

“The surrogate virus and matched hamster EVD [Ebola virus disease] model will improve the security and economy of the research in the EBOV field,” the researchers wrote in the new study.

Testing infectious viruses is necessary for breakthroughs in treatment and prevention.

However, lab leaks happen, and these incidents could cause the virus to spread among the public.

Experts have confirmed that respiratory viruses – which are spared via coughing and sneezing – are more likely to spread widely through a population.

Data released this March revealed that lab leak incidents occur every year and include the release of controlled pathogens like tuberculosis and anthrax.

There are anywhere from 70 to 100 releases recorded every year.

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