Canadian researchers successfully treat monkeys for Ebola
The Ebola virus.
Just the name strike fear into the hearts of men. Its the virus that books (The Hot Zone) and movies (Outbreak) revolve around due to the almost certain gruesome death that is the typical outcome from the disease. There is no vaccine to prevent it, no medicine to treat it.
But thanks to researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), a treatment is a distinct possibility.
According to a Public Health Agency of Canada news release Wednesday, NML researchers developed a new and easy-to-manufacture treatment for Ebola infection, one of the world’s deadliest diseases. The findings were published today in the Science Translational Medicine journal.
The treatment by the Winnipeg research team uses three different antibodies, which are the body’s natural markers for invading viruses.
The monoclonal antibody cocktail, named ZMAb, was given to two monkeys 24 hours after being infected, and the other two 48 hours after infection – and all four survived without side effects. One monkey that was not treated died within five days of the infection.
The treatment is specific for Zaire Ebola, one of five different strains, and works by slowing the virus, giving the body’s immune system more time to respond and kill off the virus.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health said, “The Harper Government is committed to advancing national and international public health. This groundbreaking discovery is a remarkable achievement and exemplifies the world-class research conducted here in Canada.”
The next step is to work on a treatment that will be effective if administered within three days, which is the average time it takes to properly diagnose the virus.
Zaire Ebola virus is one of the world’s most aggressive viruses. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe, often-fatal disease (Up to 90 per cent of infections result in death) in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.