Scientists Discover Post-Exposure Treatment with Horse Antibodies Is Effective for Ebola

Researchers in Melbourne have developed an effective, rapid and economical treatment for Ebola using antibodies from horses. In the study, the equine antibodies were administered over five days to cynomolgus macaques infected 24hours previously with a lethal dose of Ebola virus. The researchers found that the antibodies suppressed viral loads by more than five logs and protected animals from mortality. “Animals generated their own Ebola glycoprotein-specific IgG responses 9 [to] 15 days after infection, with circulating virus undetectable by day 15 [through] 17.”

Previously and subsequent to the largest recorded Ebola outbreak from 2014 to 2016 that infected 30,000 people and killed more than 11,000 primarily in West Africa, monoclonal antibodies were developed in the United Kingdom to treat infected healthcare workers returning from Africa. But, monoclonal antibodies require considerable investment in manufacture scale-up and are expensive. Equine antibodies, on the other hand, are a cheaper alternative. “This is a cost-effective treatment that can be used in low-income countries in Africa where equine production facilities are already in operation for producing snake-bite antivenin,” said Alexander Khromykh, professor at University of Queensland in Australia. The post-exposure treatment made with the equine antibodies could be used in the next Ebola outbreak, the researchers said.