40 Years Later, Survivors of Ebola Still Have Immunity

                The first known Ebola outbreak occurred in 1976 near the town of Yambuku in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It presented as a mysterious hemorrhagic fever that burned through the population like wildfire, killing 280 people before the plague was over. Now a study, published in the Journal of Infectious Disease, has shown that all 14 survivors observed can still produce antibodies to the disease, 40 years after it swept through their community

            Such a strong a long-lasting immune response is rare. Though many viruses can confer “lifetime immunities,” these immunities tend to wane gradually over time, or even disappear entirely after enough time. But the survivors of the first Ebola outbreak all have immunity like they were just recently exposed to the virus. It’s a remarkable phenomenon, and it has great implications for the treatment and prevention of future Ebola outbreaks.
            Studying these rare survivors of the first Ebola outbreak has allowed scientists to estimate the effectiveness of different viral protein targets for possible vaccination, and given them a good idea of what kind of effectiveness to aim for when developing new preventative technologies.

Tissue samples from survivors of the Yambuku Ebola outbreak are transported to a field lab. Credit Anne W. Rimoin

            -Cole Holderman

            Sources:

1.       The Journal of Infectious Disease: Ebola Virus Neutralizing Antibodies Detectable in Survivors of the Yambuku, Zaire Outbreak 40 Years after Infection: https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jix584/4716835#104958751

2.       Article in Nature Reviews: Ebola survivors still immune to virus after 40 years: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08664-w