Study Shows Ebola Antibodies Increase Their Efficacy Over Time

A study carried out by the Microbiology Service of the 12 de Octubre University Hospital with the Hematology Service and the High Level Isolation Unit of the La Paz-Carlos III University Hospital concludes that the immune response of three patients who have survived the virus outbreak Ebola, produced by the Makona variant, and therefore have generated antibodies, is greater nine months after clinical recovery.

The result reveals the action of the antibodies present in the blood and plasma of survivors, which has been used in some patients during the acute phase of the disease, and which was unknown. The research work Specific neutralizing response in plasma from convalescent patients of Ebola Virus Disease against the West Africa Makona Variant of Ebola Virus, published in the journal Virus Research, has been carried out with a model of the Makona variant of this virus, designed in the Laboratory of the Hospital 12 de Octubre, and with blood plasma from three patients who have overcome this disease.

Access to these samples has made it possible to safely measure the antiviral potency that exists in plasma in a period of two to nine months after infection. Thus, through periodic measurements, it has been determined that the ability of antibodies to neutralize this specific variant of the Ebola virus is greater as time progresses.

A new line of work opens
With these results, researchers from both health centers have opened a new line of work to check whether the neutralizing action of the antibodies to Makona is also effective in the Mayinga variant, which emerged in 1976. In this second In this case, the capacity to protect the organism is lower than that which it develops with the current outbreak.

The main difference between the two variants of the Ebola virus is in the GP protein. In the Makona it presents a genomic sequence that is three percent different from the one in Mayinga and Kikwit. This protein is a determining factor for the entry of the Ebola virus into cells, responsible for the immune response in infection and the main target of antibodies. In addition, this protein is the viral component of the two vaccines that currently exist against this disease and that have shown promising results in animals. The research carried out could help to choose the best time to donate plasma from infected patients who manage to survive. In addition, it will contribute to designing treatments capable of neutralizing the Ebola virus.

Survival of 81.5% in the West
The New England Journal of Medicine today publishes an article that describes the hospital management of the 27 patients treated in the United States and Europe, including the three Spanish cases who received treatment at Hospital La Paz- Carlos III. Seven specialists from Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine from Hospital La Paz-Carlos III, as well as researchers from the National Center for Microbiology, participate in the publication .

The publication confirms a survival rate of 81.5%, which means that mortality (18.5%) is much lower than that reported in Africa, which is between 50-70%. Likewise, the importance of supportive treatment for patients infected by the Ebola virus is evidenced, which consists of intense intravenous hydration, correction of electrolyte alterations, nutritional support, in addition to the use of critical care for the respiratory tract and kidney failure. Questions raised about experimental treatments are also addressed.