Recent outbreaks have shown that the Ebola virus is present on the skin's surface in advanced stages of infection or after death, suggesting a potential route for person-to-person transmission.
A U.S.-based study traced the path of the Ebola virus as it moves through the skin's layers, identifying the specific skin cells targeted by the virus.
Results highlight that the skin’s surface could be an additional route for the virus to spread between individuals.
Methodology:
Researchers developed a human skin explant system using full-thickness biopsies from healthy individuals, which included both:
Dermal layer (deeper skin layers).
Epidermal layer (surface skin layers).
This approach allowed for a detailed examination of how the virus infects different skin cell types.
The Ebola virus infected various cell types in the skin, including:
Macrophages (immune cells).
Endothelial cells (lining blood vessels).
Fibroblasts (involved in skin structure and repair).
Keratinocytes (specific to the skin, providing a protective barrier).
Notably, keratinocytes were newly identified as supporting Ebola virus infection, a discovery unique to this study.
The results, published in Science Advances, suggest that the virus's presence on the skin surface could significantly contribute to its transmission between individuals.
COMMENTS