Researchers backed by the CDC have identified clues highlighting the genetic reasons some people survive an Ebola infection and others do not. The new information could help fuel the development of future treatments and ultimately save lives, according to new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
For the study, researchers collected 54 biomarkers from seven Ebola patients. Patients were separated into moderate and severe clinical disease groups based on the amount of virus in the blood and the need for clinical support. Five were determined to have moderate infections and two had severe cases. Those with severe levels of Ebola in their blood experienced an erratic immune system response, which resulted in the destruction of tissues, organ failure and death in one individual. Those in the moderate disease group had healthy immune responses with a 100 percent survival rate.
"We were able to identify the particular components of patients' immune systems that successfully fought off the virus. These are the parts of the immune system that we need to tap into to develop new therapies," said Anita McElroy, MD, PhD, a guest researcher in CDC's Viral Special Pathogens Branch and a physician and faculty member at Emory University in Atlanta.
As of April 13, there have been nearly 30,000 total cases of Ebola associated with the 2014 outbreak in West Africa, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths, according to the CDC.
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