Screening and Identification of Lujo Virus Inhibitors Using a Recombinant Reporter Virus Platform

  • Viruses. 2021 Jun 28;13(7):1255. doi: 10.3390/v13071255.
Stephen R Welch  1 ,  Jessica R Spengler  1 ,  Sarah C Genzer  1 ,  Payel Chatterjee  1 ,  Mike Flint  1 ,  Éric Bergeron  1 ,  Joel M Montgomery  1 ,  Stuart T Nichol  1 ,  César G Albariño  1 ,  Christina F Spiropoulou  1
Affiliations
  • 1. Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
PMID: 34203149 DOI: 10.3390/v13071255
Abstract

Lujo virus (LUJV), a highly pathogenic Arenavirus, was first identified in 2008 in Zambia. To aid the identification of effective therapeutics for LUJV, we developed a recombinant reporter virus system, confirming reporter LUJV comparability with wild-type virus and its utility in high-throughput Antiviral screening assays. Using this system, we evaluated compounds with known and unknown efficacy against related arenaviruses, with the aim of identifying LUJV-specific and potential new pan-arenavirus antivirals. We identified six compounds demonstrating robust anti-LUJV activity, including several compounds with previously reported activity against Other arenaviruses. These data provide critical evidence for developing broad-spectrum antivirals against high-consequence arenaviruses.

Keywords
Lujo virus; antiviral screen; arenavirus; emerging viruses; reporter virus; reverse genetics; therapeutic; viral hemorrhagic fever.
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