A new study in macaques sheds light on how the Ebola virus can persist in the brains of survivors even after they’ve been vaccinated, treated with FDA-approved monoclonal antibody therapies, or both.
There’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that Ebola can lurk in the body for long periods of time, evading the immune system as well as available therapeutics. Reports from Ebola outbreaks document survivors that relapse, falling ill and sometimes dying months or even years after they’ve recovered from their acute illness. Macaque and human studies have also shown that the Ebola virus can persist long-term in the eyes, brain, and testes of survivors. Research published today (February 9) in Science Translational Medicine sheds new light on this process: scientists found the virus in the ventricles—cavities in the brain that produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)—of several macaques that were treated for and appeared to have made complete ...
