Establishment of an ex vivo vascular tissue model to investigate bunyavirus-triggered vascular endothelial injury.

Ex vivo human vascular tissue effectively models bunyavirus-induced endothelial injury, revealing viral infection and tissue damage with significant implications for antiviral testing.

• Why it matters: Understanding how bunyaviruses cause vascular damage is crucial for developing treatments for severe diseases like severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, yet current models are inadequate.
• What they did: Researchers established an ex vivo human vascular tissue system that supports infection by SFTSV and RVFV, allowing detailed analysis of viral replication, tissue injury, and antiviral efficacy using 4'-fluorouridine and niclosamide.
• The result: The model demonstrated that bunyavirus infection causes endothelial disruption and apoptosis, and that antiviral compounds can reduce viral replication and tissue damage, advancing research into virus-vascular interactions and therapeutics.