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A groundbreaking study published today in Science Advances sheds new light on how the Ebola virus can navigate through human skin, potentially contributing to its silent spread through direct touch. The research, conducted by experts from the University of Iowa Health Care, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and Boston University, unveils the cellular pathways Ebola uses to infiltrate skin cells, advancing our understanding of its transmission and offering hope for targeted antiviral treatments.
Understanding Ebola’s Transmission Through Skin Contact
Ebola is a deadly hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus (EBOV), primarily found in parts of East-Central and West Africa. Historically, Ebola has been known to spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected individual. However, recent outbreaks, such as the devastating 2013-2016 West African epidemic, have raised concerns about an additional route of transmission: the skin.
While traces of Ebola virus have been found on the skin’s surface, especially in individuals at advanced stages of the disease or after death, the process by which the virus makes its way to the skin remained largely mysterious. The new study finally unlocks this secret, revealing how the virus moves through layers of the skin to the surface, potentially serving as a pathway for person-to-person transmission.
Role of Skin Cells in Ebola Transmission
“The skin is the largest organ in the human body, yet its role in Ebola transmission has been largely overlooked,” said Wendy Maury, PhD, senior author of the study and a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa. “Our research uncovers how EBOV exploits skin cells to exit the human body, a key step in developing antiviral strategies.”
The research team, led by Maury and Kelly Messingham, PhD, developed an innovative human skin explant system using biopsies from healthy individuals. This system allowed the researchers to simulate the virus’s journey from the blood to the skin’s surface and observe the interaction with various skin cells.
Advanced Techniques Reveal EBOV Pathways
The team employed sophisticated virus-tracing and cell-tagging techniques to track how Ebola virus particles move through skin layers. By introducing the virus into the explants from the dermal side (the deeper layer), they were able to model how the virus exits the bloodstream and reaches the skin’s surface.
The results were striking: the virus successfully infected multiple cell types in the skin, including macrophages, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and keratinocytes. While other studies had shown EBOV infections in various tissues, the role of keratinocytes—skin cells that had not been associated with the virus before—was an unexpected revelation.
Key Findings and Implications for Treatment
Interestingly, the study found that the virus replicated more efficiently in the epidermal layer (the outer skin) than in the dermal layers, with infectious virus detectable on the skin surface within just three days. This rapid movement indicates that the skin could serve as a significant conduit for the virus’s spread.
The research also identified specific receptors on skin cells that allow the Ebola virus to enter and infect the cells, offering crucial insights for the development of antiviral therapies. Moreover, the use of human skin explants provides an invaluable, low-cost model for testing antiviral drugs and vaccines aimed at combating EBOV.
Looking Ahead: New Frontiers in Research
“The discovery of how Ebola exploits specific skin cells is an important step forward in understanding how the virus spreads,” said Kelly Messingham, PhD, a research professor of dermatology at the University of Iowa. “This research provides a new avenue for exploring antiviral therapies that specifically target these interactions and may help control future outbreaks.”
The study’s findings mark a significant leap in our understanding of Ebola’s transmission, emphasizing the critical role of skin cells in its spread. By elucidating the pathway through which the virus moves from the bloodstream to the skin’s surface, the team has opened doors for new research into treatments that could prevent Ebola transmission via skin contact.
The study was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the full research can be accessed in Science Advances.
