ARTICLE TITLE SAYS CHINESE SCIENTISTS, I TOOK THAT OUT OF THE TITLE BECAUSE IT'S LIKELY U.S. FUNDED JUST LIKE COVID.
Scientists have engineered a virus with parts of Ebola in a lab that killed a group of hamsters.
The infected hamsters developed secretions in their eyes, which impaired their vision and covered the surface of the eyeballs
A team of researchers at Hebei Medical University used a contagious disease of livestock and added a protein found in Ebola, which 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,' including multi-organ failure,' the study shared.
One particularly horrific symptom saw the infected hamsters develop secretions in their eyes, which impaired their vision and scabbed over the surface of the eyeballs
While the experiment may spark fears of another lab leak, the researchers say their goal was to find the right animal models that can safely mimic Ebola symptoms in a lab setting.
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.
'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 shared in the study, which was published in the Chinese journal Virologica Sinica.
- The hamsters infected with the constructed virus died within two to three days
- The results could be a breakthrough in using animals to safely study Ebola
- READ MORE: Experts reveal what virus could cause the next pandemic
Scientists have engineered a virus with parts of Ebola in a lab that killed a group of hamsters.
The infected hamsters developed secretions in their eyes, which impaired their vision and covered the surface of the eyeballs
A team of researchers at Hebei Medical University used a contagious disease of livestock and added a protein found in Ebola, which 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,' including multi-organ failure,' the study shared.
One particularly horrific symptom saw the infected hamsters develop secretions in their eyes, which impaired their vision and scabbed over the surface of the eyeballs
While the experiment may spark fears of another lab leak, the researchers say their goal was to find the right animal models that can safely mimic Ebola symptoms in a lab setting.
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.
'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 shared in the study, which was published in the Chinese journal Virologica Sinica.
Chinese scientists engineer virus with parts of Ebola in a lab
A team of researchers at Hebei Medical University engineered virus to contain parts of Ebola in a lab that killed a group of hamsters in just three days.
www.dailymail.co.uk
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