Did Scientists Just Discover a Cure for Ebola?
Scientists in Canada announced
the successful treatment of Ebola viral infection in monkeys. The encouraging
results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on June
13.
Researchers from
the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba identified a number
of antibodies that corresponded to proteins on the shell of the Ebola virus.
They combined the antibodies into a specific cocktail and administered it to
four macaques within 24 hours of infection. All four macaques survived. When
the cocktail was administered within 48 hours of infection, two of four macaques
survived.
Why is
the survival of a few monkeys such big news? Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a disease
caused by infection with the Ebola virus, is one of the most deadly and
little-understood diseases in the world. There is no vaccine, no standard treatment,
and the origin of the virus remains unknown.
Your cheat sheet on Ebola virus
Ebola virus was
first recognized in 1976 in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in an
outbreak that affected 318 people and resulted in 280 deaths. The virus and its
five subtypes belong to a family of viruses called Filoviridae; only four of
the five subtypes have caused disease in humans. The virus affects humans and
non-human primates, but the natural reservoir of Ebola remains unknown. This
means the exact origin and natural habitat of the virus are a mystery, with
significant implications for treatment and prevention.
Scientists
believe Ebola spreads through zoonotic transmission- that is, coming from an
animal. The first patient of an Ebola outbreak is thought to be infected
through contact with an infected animal. From there, the virus can spread to
other humans through direct contact with blood or body fluids. Outbreaks often
occur in healthcare settings (known as nosocomial transmission), as patients
seek treatment in facilities where
appropriate infection-control may not be practiced. The symptoms of Ebola are
somewhat nonspecific at first. Within 2-21 days of exposure, patients usually
experience fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness,
later followed by diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. Some patients also
experience rash, red eyes, hiccups and bleeding. From the onset of symptoms,
Ebola can kill a patient within a matter of days.
There
is no known treatment for Ebola in humans. Doctors can offer supportive
therapy, such as hydration, oxygen and treatment of complicating infections,
but mortality rates are still very high. Because the natural reservoir and
origin of transmission remains unknown, there are no established methods of
primary prevention. Instead, prevention efforts focus on outbreak control in
healthcare settings.
There
have been 28 documented outbreaks, with 2,288 human cases and 1,331
deaths. The most recent Ebola outbreak, according to the CDC, was a single case
in Luwero district, Uganda in May 2011.
A cure for human Ebola infection? Not just yet.
What
does this recent advance mean? Can we expect a post-exposure treatment for
humans? Or better yet, a vaccine? Scientists caution this is certainly a big
step forward, but many challenges remain before the treatment can be applied to
an outbreak in humans. For example, the amount of antibodies needed to treat a
larger group of people would be difficult to manufacture.
For a first-person account of
the initial detection of the Ebola virus, listen to this interview from NPR’s
Talk of the Nation with Peter Piot, a member of the 1976 team who first
identified Ebola, as he discusses his memories of the discovery and his long
career in virology. - See more at: http://healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/did-scientists-just-discover-cure-ebola-62212#sthash.SSS1Sh4I.dpuf
- See more at:
http://healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/did-scientists-just-discover-cure-ebola-62212#sthash.SSS1Sh4I.dpuf
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