Ebola treatment proves effective against multiple species of virus

Mackenzie Bean (Twitter) -

A drug cocktail that incorporates two antibodies from an Ebola survivor can treat multiple species of the virus, according to a study published in Cell Host & Microbe.

Three things to know:

1. At present, all Ebola treatments in clinical development are targeted toward a specific Ebola species.

2. Researchers found that a single dose of the new combination treatment proved effective against the Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire Ebola strains in nonhuman primates.

3. The cocktail also outperformed the single antibody treatment in protecting guinea pigs against Ebola.

"Our experimental drug can protect against all forms of Ebola known to harm people, suggesting that it will continue to protect people if the Ebola viruses evolve over time," Thomas Geisbert, PhD, an Ebola researcher and professor of microbiology and immunology at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said in a press release.

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