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Ebola virus still seen in monkey brains long after initial infection

Ebola, one of the deadliest human viruses, can hide in the brain for years despite treatment. This is what American researchers observed in monkeys that survived the initial infection.

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In an experiment conducted on Origin of primates
The debate remains…” data-image=”https://cdn.futura-sciences.com/buildsv6/images/midioriginal/4/0/f/40f01b0d93_52778_japanese-macaque-udon-fotopedia-cc-nc-20. jpg” data-url=”https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/definitions/zoology-primate-2141/” data-more=”Read more”>primates non-humans, theU.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease demonstrated the ability of virus Ebola to hide in the brain for years.

« We observed that approximately 20% of monkeys that survived a lethal dose of Ebola virus after monoclonal antibody treatment still have persistent infection – specifically in the ventricular system of the brain where the liquid cerebrospinal is produced and circulates – and even when Ebola has been cleared from other organs », explains Xiankun Zen, director of the study published in Science Translational Medecine. The case of two monkeys is particularly worrying. The animals survived the initial infection, but eventually died from a resurgence of the disease.

Ebola persisted in the brains of monkeys treated with monoclonal antibodies

The persistent presence of the Ebola virus in the brain induced the death of ependymocytes – a family of cells that are part of the blood-brain barrier of the choroid plexus. Severe local inflammation ensued and the virus spread throughout the ventricular system of the brain causing animal death. The Ebola virus can also hide in humans.

In 2021, scientists analyzed the case of a man in whom the virus remained latent for five years in his Function of the testicles
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