Ebola therapy protects severely ill monkeys

摘要

The filoviruses known as Ebola virus and Marburg virus are among the most deadly of pathogens, with fatality rates of up to 90% (ref. 1). Early this year, a new strain of the Zaire species of Ebola virus emerged in the West African country of Guinea and quickly spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The outbreak persists despite the best efforts of local and international authorities, and is now the largest filovirus outbreak on record, with no end in sight. There are no licensed vaccines or post-exposure treatments against Ebola, so moving the most promising interventions forward is a matter of utmost urgency. On page 47 of this issue, Qiu et al. report that rhesus monkeys can be completely protected from lethal Ebola infection using ZMapp - a blend of three monoclonal antibodies. Crucially, the treatment protected monkeys even when it was administered as late as 5 days after exposure to the virus, at a time when the animals were severely ill.