Ebola Vaccine Found to Protect Monkeys

A study has shown that a single dose of a fast-acting experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus was able to protect monkeys from the virus after only one month. The study was reported in the August 7, 2003, issue of Nature.

Researchers had been pursuing a "prime-boost” vaccine strategy against a variety of infectious diseases. Prime-boost is a two-part process that comprises an injection of noninfectious genetic material from the disease-causing microbe to prime the immune system to respond, and several weeks later, an injection of attenuated carrier viruses containing key genes from the microbe to substantially boost the immune response. The boost produces a weaker immune response but is quicker. Since time is critical when fighting Ebola, they decided to test whether the boost's fast response alone was strong enough to protect against the virus.

Eight monkeys were immunized with a single injection, consisting of attenuated carrier viruses containing genes for important Ebola antiens. The monkeys were then injected with an Ebola virus strain. The single vaccine injection completely protected all eight animals against Ebola infection, even those who received high doses of the virus. The study was conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, MD, USA).

"This research has enormous public health implications not only because it might be used to limit the spread of Ebola virus but also because this vaccine strategy may be applied to other highly lethal viruses, such as the Marburg and Lassa fever viruses and the SARS Coronavirus, that cause acute disease outbreaks and require a rapid response,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of NIAID.




Related Links:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases