Anti-Ebola Virus Antibody Levels in Convalescent Plasma and Viral Load After Plasma Infusion in Patients With Ebola Virus Disease
Jerry F Brown, John M Dye, Sam Tozay, Gertrude Jeh-Mulbah, David A Wohl, William A Fischer 2nd, Coleen K Cunningham, Kathleen Rowe, Peter Zacharias, James van Hasselt, David A Norwood, Nathan M Thielman, Samantha E Zak, David L Hoover, Jerry F Brown, John M Dye, Sam Tozay, Gertrude Jeh-Mulbah, David A Wohl, William A Fischer 2nd, Coleen K Cunningham, Kathleen Rowe, Peter Zacharias, James van Hasselt, David A Norwood, Nathan M Thielman, Samantha E Zak, David L Hoover
Abstract
Background: Ebola virus (EBOV) neutralizing antibody in plasma may reduce viral load following administration of plasma to patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD), but measurement of these antibodies is complex.
Methods: Anti-EBOV antibody was measured by 2 neutralization and 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in convalescent plasma (ECP) from 100 EVD survivor donors in Liberia. Viral load was assessed repetitively in patients with EVD participating in a clinical trial of enhanced standard of care plus ECP.
Results: All 4 anti-EBOV assays were highly concordant for detection of EBOV antibody. Antibodies were not detected in plasma specimens obtained from 15 of 100 donors, including 7 with documented EBOV-positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction during EVD. Viral load was reduced following each dose in the 2 clinical trial participants who received ECP with higher antibody levels but not in the 2 who received ECP with lower antibody levels.
Conclusions: Recovery from EVD can occur with absence of detectable anti-EBOV antibody several months after disease onset. ELISAs may be useful to select ECP donors or identify ECP units that contain neutralizing antibody. ECP with higher anti-EBOV antibody levels may have greater effect on EBOV load-an observation that requires further investigation.
Clinical trials registration: NCT02333578.
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Source: PubMed