Ebola Virus Can Stay Hidden In Your Brain Even After Years Post-Recovery: Study Reveals Shocking Facts
Zaire ebolavirus, more commonly known as the Ebola virus, is one of the six known species within the genus Ebolavirus. It is a rare and deadly disease in people and nonhuman primates. The virus that causes Ebola is mainly located in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years, many researchers came up with several facts related to the ebola virus and the way it infects humans and non-human primates. However, it was until now that experts revealed how it stays hidden inside the human brain even after recovery. But, before we learn the new surprising facts about this virus, let's take a look at how did Ebola virus start.
Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe disease caused by the Ebola virus and we already know this, but where did it all start? What is the origin of this deadly virus? The disease emerged in 1976 in almost simultaneous outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan (now South Sudan). According to the official data, between 1979 and 1994 there were no cases or outbreaks detected, however, post this time period several outbreaks were recognised with an increasing frequency. The largest outbreak to date took place in West Africa between March 2014 and June 2016, affecting primarily Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Over 28,000 cases were recorded.
There are primarily 4 species of Ebola virus that are capable of infecting humans. These are:
Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Zaire ebolavirus is a highly transmissible virus infection. People can get EVD through direct contact with an infected animal (bat or nonhuman primate) or a sick or dead person infected with the Ebola virus.
So far, the virus was known to infect humans and cause either death or some severe symptoms. All these were either curable or fatal. But, in a recent, ground-breaking study, scientists described how the Ebola virus, which can persist in certain areas of the body, can re-emerge to cause fatal disease--even long after treatment with monoclonal antibodies.
The research, which was published on the cover of 'Science Translational Medicine' showed that the recent Ebola virus disease outbreaks in Africa have been linked to persistent infection in patients who had survived previous outbreaks
The 2021 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Guinea re-emerged from a persistently infected survivor of the previous major outbreak at least five years ago. However, the exact "hiding place" of persistent Ebola virus and the underlying pathology of subsequent recrudescent, or recurring, disease in survivors--especially those treated with standard-of-care monoclonal antibody therapeutics--were largely unknown. This builds up the curiosity in the minds of the researchers to look for the hiding places of the virus, and what they found is terrifying.
Zeng and his team at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases told the media about the facts they discovered during their course of studying the virus. Zeng said, "Ours is the first study to reveal the hiding place of brain Ebola virus persistence and the pathology causing subsequent fatal recrudescent Ebola virus-related disease in the nonhuman primate model."
He further added, "We found that about 20 percent of monkeys that survived lethal Ebola virus exposure after treatment with monoclonal antibody therapeutics still had persistent Ebola virus infection--specifically in the brain ventricular system, in which cerebrospinal fluid is produced, circulated, and contained--even when Ebola virus was cleared from all other organs."
According to the researchers, severe inflammation and massive Ebola virus infection were present in the brain ventricular system; no obvious pathology and viral infection were found in other organs.
In another study, a UK expert has revealed that not just the brain, but the Ebola virus can also vaginal bleeding and deafness. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), two people who have recently returned from West Africa, where the disease is endemic, have reportedly tested positive for the Ebola virus, and they have been suffering from symptoms like vaginal bleeding and deafness. The officials have also confirmed that this is the first time the disease has been found in Britain since 2009 - and there have only been eight previous cases in the country.
