Ebola Virus Vaccine Successful in Non-Human Primates
Prevention of the Ebola Virus may now be possible thanks to a vaccine developed by US and Canadian researchers. The researchers, led by Dr. Anthony Sanchez, of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta, GA, successful tested the vaccine on non-human primates and hope to adapt the vaccine for human use.
The Ebola Virus is one of the causes of the world’s deadliest diseases, Ebola hemorrhagic fever. There have 1500 cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever and it has a 90% human mortality rate. The illness starts suddenly and symptoms include headache, fever, weakness, sore throat, joint and muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
The researchers used several different recombinant DNA techniques to trigger a cell-mediated response and produce a vaccine effective in primates. One of the candidate vaccines will be tested on humans soon, having entered Phase 1 clinical trials in autumn 2006.
Dr. Sanchez presented an overview of Ebola vaccine development on March 31, 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting.
