Clinical and Molecular Features of Ebola Virus Disease

Clinical Center

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project 1: Clinical data was abstracted from the medical record. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain and heart was performed early and late during convalescence. Daily blood specimens (serum, plasma, leukocytes) and intermittent body fluid specimens (urine, stool, semen) were collected, preserved, and stored at the NIAID IRF BSL 4 laboratory for later analysis. Our prior published work described 1) the peripheral blood leukocyte transcriptional responses during illness and recovery correlated with clinical parameters, 2) EBOV kinetics and genetic diversification in serum during acute illness and in semen during convalescence, 3)longitudinal analysis of antibody responses to 7 EBOV proteins during acute illness and recovery by surface plasmin resonance and gene fragment phage display analyses, and 4) EBOV kinetics in multiple other body compartments applied to highlight mathematical modeling challenges of EBOV-host dynamics during infection and treatment. Ongoing work includes 1) proteomic analysis of 1300 plasma proteins during acute illness and recovery using the somalogic assay and 2) deep phenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cell responses during treatment and recovery. Project 2: Clinical and demographic data were collected at the time of ETU admission, transcribed into an electronic database, and subsequently de-identified. Blood specimens were collected for EBOV qRT-PCR testing at time of ETU admission and during recovery among survivors. Remaining blood aliquots were stored at the NIAID RML BSL-4 laboratories for subsequent analysis. De-identified specimens and clinical data were linked through an honest broker. Ongoing work includes 1) characterizing EBOV kinetics among survivors versus those who died and evaluating the association between viral load and timing of ETU admission and outcome 2) determining the rate of bacteremia among survivors versus those who died and the association between bacteremia and outcome.