{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]],"date-time":"2026-02-28T13:10:01Z","timestamp":1772284201032,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,9]],"date-time":"2020-12-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1607472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Akhmeta virus is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus first identified in 2013 in the country of Georgia. Subsequent ecological investigations in Georgia have found evidence that this virus is widespread in its geographic distribution within the country and in its host-range, with rodents likely involved in its circulation in the wild. Yet, little is known about the pathogenicity of this virus in rodents. We conducted the first laboratory infection of Akhmeta virus in CAST\/EiJ Mus musculus to further characterize this novel virus. We found a dose-dependent effect on mortality and weight loss (p &lt; 0.05). Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were detected in the second- and third-highest dose groups (5 \u00d7 104 pfu and 3 \u00d7 102 pfu) at euthanasia by day 10, and day 14 post-infection, respectively. Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were not detected in the highest dose group (3 \u00d7 106 pfu), which were euthanized at day 7 post-infection and had high viral load in tissues, suggesting they succumbed to disease prior to mounting an effective immune response. In order of highest burden, viable virus was detected in the nostril, lung, tail, liver and spleen. All individuals tested in the highest dose groups were DNAemic. Akhmeta virus was highly pathogenic in CAST\/EiJ Mus musculus, causing 100% mortality when \u22653 \u00d7 102 pfu was administered.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v12121416","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,9]],"date-time":"2020-12-09T09:17:58Z","timestamp":1607505478000},"page":"1416","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Laboratory Infection of Novel Akhmeta Virus in CAST\/EiJ Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8646-8920","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clint N.","family":"Morgan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Audrey M.","family":"Matheny","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"},{"name":"Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, CDC Fellowship Program, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yoshinori J.","family":"Nakazawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chantal","family":"Kling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"},{"name":"Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, CDC Fellowship Program, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nadia","family":"Gallardo-Romero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laurie","family":"Seigler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"},{"name":"K\u0101pili Services, LLC, An Alaka\u2019ina Foundation Company, Honolulu, HI 96814, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7360-6722","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Galileu","family":"Barbosa Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"N\u00facleo de Epidemiologia e Bioestat\u00edstica, Centro de Pesquisas Gon\u00e7alo Moniz, Fiocruz, Bahia 40296-710, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christina","family":"Hutson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giorgi","family":"Maghlakelidze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Caucuses Office, Tbilisi 0177, Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7729-7680","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Victoria","family":"Olson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey B.","family":"Doty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poxvirus &amp; Rabies Branch, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens &amp; Pathology, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108","DOI":"10.1016\/j.coviro.2017.11.012","article-title":"Understanding orthopoxvirus host range and evolution: From the enigmatic to the usual suspects","volume":"28","author":"Reynolds","year":"2018","journal-title":"Curr. 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