Early transcriptional changes within liver, adrenal gland and lymphoid tissues significantly contributes to Ebola pathogenesis in cynomolgus macaques

Ebola virus (EBOV) remains a high priority pathogen since it continues to cause outbreaks with high case fatality rates. Although it is well-established that EBOV results in severe organ damage, our understanding of tissue injury in the liver, adrenal glands and lymphoid tissues remains limited. We address this knowledge gap by conducting longitudinal gene expression studies in these tissues, which were collected from EBOV infected cynomolgus macaques. We report robust and early gene expression changes within these tissues, indicating that they are primary sites of EBOV infection. Furthermore, genes involved in metabolism, coagulation, and adaptive immunity were downregulated while inflammatory related genes were upregulated, indicating significant tissue damage consistent with the development of hemorrhagic fever and lymphopenia. Our results provide novel insight into EBOV-host interactions and how host responses within the liver, adrenal glands and lymphoid tissues contribute to EBOV pathogenesis.