Ebola virus, treatment

There is no known effective treatment. Ribavirin is not active in vitro. Administering blood from convalescent patients is controversial but was carried out to a limited extent in Kikwit. The use of equine hyperimmune serum has been studied in Russia. The use of recombinant antibodies against Ebola virus is experimental. The effect of steroids is being studied. In 1998 the first results of animal studies with a vaccine were published. It appeared possible to protect guinea pigs against Ebola virus by immunisation with plasmids coding for viral glycoproteins. (Guinea pigs are sensitive to Ebola). Data suggesting that extracts of Garcinia kola (bitter cola) contain substances that might possess anti-Ebola activity, are still to be confirmed. During epidemics, good nursing care might lower the mortality.

Infected macrophages display tissue factor, a clotting protein, on their surface (i.e. there is overexpression of this protein). When bound to factor VIIa, this activates the coagulation cascade, leading to localised blood clots. One hypothesis is that inhibition of the fVIIa/tissue complex could ameliorate Ebola symptoms. The anticoagulant rNAPc2 (recombinant Nematode Anticoagulant Protein;) counteracts tissue factor. Treatment with rNAPc2 resulted in significant survival in Rhesus monkeys infected with Ebola virus. However, more study is needed to evaluate how this would apply in human infections.

Category: Medical Subject Notes , Medicine Notes