Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne virus (Bunyaviridae, Phlebovirus) that has caused sporadic cases of human disease in several central and mid-eastern states of America. Animal models of HRTV disease are needed to gain insights into viral pathogenesis and advancing antiviral drug development. Presence of clinical disease following HRTV challenge in hamsters deficient in STAT2 function underscores the important role played by type I interferon-induced antiviral responses. However, the recovery of most of the infected animals suggests that other mechanisms to control infection and limit disease offer substantial protection. The most prominent disease sign with HRTV infection in STAT2 knockout hamsters was dramatic weight loss with clinical laboratory and histopathology demonstrating acute inflammation in the spleen, lymph node, liver and lung. Finally, we show that HRTV disease in hamsters can be prevented by the use of favipiravir, a promising broad-spectrum antiviral in clinical development for the treatment of influenza.

心地病毒（HRTV）是一种新兴的壁虱传播病毒（Bunyaviridae，Phlebovirus），已在美国中部和中部多个州引起零星的人类疾病病例。需要HRTV疾病的动物模型来深入了解病毒的发病机理和推进抗病毒药物的开发。在STAT2功能缺陷的仓鼠中，HRTV攻击后临床疾病的存在强调了I型干扰素诱导的抗病毒反应所起的重要作用。但是，大多数受感染动物的康复表明，其他控制感染和限制疾病的机制也提供了重要的保护。STAT2中HRTV感染最突出的疾病征象临床实验室和组织病理学证实，敲除仓鼠可显着减轻体重，显示出脾脏，淋巴结，肝脏和肺部有急性炎症。最后，我们显示可以通过使用favipiravir来预防仓鼠HRTV疾病，favipiravir是临床上有望用于治疗流感的广谱抗病毒药物。