Fever-fighting Fit

As it sweeps across West Africa, Ebola has become the virus to fear, its deadly haemorrhagic fevers claiming around 1500 lives to date. The closely-related Marburg virus, pictured, causes similar severe symptoms; in one outbreak, 90% of infected patients succumbed to the disease. Both Ebola and Marburg are notoriously difficult to cure, and to be effective most potential treatments need to be administered very soon after infection before symptoms appear. However, recent tests on Rhesus monkeys suggest a solution could be at hand. Monkeys infected with Marburg were injected with a small RNA molecule, which interferes with the synthesis of one of the virus’ proteins; all the animals recovered, even if the treatment was given three days after infection. While further tests are needed, this study raises the possibility of extending the treatment window for these diseases, a major step towards improving the likelihood of survival.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

Website

• Image by Science Source
• Science Photo Library
• Any re-use of this image must be authorised by Science Photo Library
• Research published in Science Translational Medicine, August 2014