α-SMA is regarded as a marker of activated myofibroblasts.27–29 We found that the fluorescence intensity of α-SMA in LF tissues from the LSCS group was significantly higher than that in LF tissues from the LDH group (Fig. 6a), indicating that the transition of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts was also an important mechanism of LF fibrosis. This evidence concerns the gene ACTA1 and Lassa fever.