Comprehensive Characterization of Cellular Immune Responses Following Ebola Virus Infection.

Dahlke, Christine; Lunemann, Sebastian; Kasonta, Rahel; Kreuels, Benno; Schmiedel, Stefan; Ly, My L; Fehling, Sarah K; Strecker, Thomas et al. · J Infect Dis · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak was the largest EVD outbreak in history. However, data on lymphocyte dynamics and the antigen specificity of T cells in Ebola survivors are scarce, and our understanding of EVD pathophysiology is limited. A case of EVD survival in which the patient cleared Ebola virus (EBOV) infection without experimental drugs allowed for the detailed examination of lymphocyte dynamics. We demonstrate the persistence of T-cell activation well beyond viral clearance and detect EBOV-specific T cells. Our study provides significant insights into lymphocyte specificity during the recovery phase of EVD and may inform novel strategies to treat EVD.

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