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2014-10-17 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Second Strain Of Ebola Identified In The Congo: Mortality Rate At 71 Percent

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Posted by Fred 2014-10-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 AFAICT, it is not known whether surviving one strain of Ebola confers immunity to other strains.
Scientic American 8/2014 intervieweded Bruce Ribner, medical director of the Emory University hospital's Infectious Disease Unit:

Are Brantly and Writebol now immune to the Zaire strain of Ebola?
In general, patients who have recovered from Ebola virus infection do develop a very robust immunity to the virus. They develop antibodies against the virus and they also develop cell-mediated immunity—the lymphocytes important to form viral control of pathogens. In general, the finding is it’s basically like being immunized—it would be unusual to get infection with the same strain.

Will that immunity afford them protection against other strains of Ebola?
We are still evaluating that in our two patients. Cross-protection is not quite as robust. There are five strains of Ebola viruses. Even though that data is not great, the feeling is there is potential for being infected if you go to a different part of Africa and get exposed to a different strain.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-17 03:25|| 2014-10-17 03:25|| Front Page Top

#2 if it keeps spreading the way it is, half the world's population will be dead in 2 years. How come they can't isolate the antibodies in survivor's plasma and replicate?

Posted by anon1 2014-10-17 05:06|| 2014-10-17 05:06|| Front Page Top

#3 The disease is self-isolating A1. When elements of the cluster are too weak to travel, AND THERE IS NO INTERVENTION, the spread stops as the hosts die off.

Posted by Skidmark 2014-10-17 05:54|| 2014-10-17 05:54|| Front Page Top

#4 For about 2 decades there were 4 varieties of hemoragic fever, i.e. Marburg, and the three Ebola variants (read The Hot Zone, it's about the emergence of Ebola Reston).
The principal divides in strain run along levels of 'infectiousness', and mortality rate.
In the past, the highly infectious versions also had a lower mortality rate, which allowed them to spread. Higher mortality strains killed the host too quickly, which caused the outbreak to burn out.
This, however, was before the advent of rapid common-carrier transport. The emergence of these diseases from the African bush seems to coincide with the completion of the Kinshasa Highway, through equatorial Africa.

Posted by ed in texas 2014-10-17 07:50|| 2014-10-17 07:50|| Front Page Top

#5 hmmm interesting comments. The Kinshasa highway... people can flee to an airport then they can fly

Posted by anon1 2014-10-17 08:26|| 2014-10-17 08:26|| Front Page Top

#6 Ingeneral, patients who have recovered from Ebola virus infection do develop a very robust immunity to the virus.

Isn't there an old Darwinian term of reference for this ?

Posted by Besoeker 2014-10-17 09:37|| 2014-10-17 09:37|| Front Page Top

#7 How come they can't isolate the antibodies in survivor's plasma and replicate?

I don't understand what that has to do with obese l^sbianism.
- Top Man Friedman

Posted by swksvolFF 2014-10-17 11:57|| 2014-10-17 11:57|| Front Page Top

#8 This is way out stuff, but they have actually studied fruit bats in India (different species from African fruit bats) as to whether or not they might have been infected with Ebola. This is part of worldwide Ebola studies & surveillance, which has been going on since 1976. They found anti-Ebola antibodies in some of the Indian fruit bats, suggesting either prior infection with Ebola, or prior infection with something in India that causes anti-Ebola antibody production (and maybe also immunity to actual Ebola). Indian fruit bats produce their own Vitamin C. African fruit bats don't. Primates like chimps & humans don't make their own vitamin C, either. Draw your own conclusions. Needs more research.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-17 14:25|| 2014-10-17 14:25|| Front Page Top

#9 #1 AFAICT, it is not known whether surviving one strain of Ebola confers immunity to other strains.

For some viral infections (dengue and flu in some circumstances, ref Spanish Flu) infection by a second strain results in a hemorrhagic syndrome.

I don't know whether this is relevant to ebola. But I would not assume cross strain immunity.

Posted by phil_b 2014-10-17 19:40|| 2014-10-17 19:40|| Front Page Top

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