Where were you when the Ebola crisis broke out in February 2014? It is fair to say that Nigerians were scared to death about contracting the deadly virus. Remember shaking your friends with you elbow? And waving at your family members?
Well, in a recent breakthrough, researchers have generated two Ebola antibodies that could lead to a cost-effective test solution for the virus. This is a big news because individuals can test for the virus as quickly as anything else and be sure they don’t have it.
This news was reported by the ScienceDaily website. And the responsible team of researchers from Loyola University, Chicago, USA stated that the antibodies could possibly be used in a simple filter paper test to detect the Ebola virus and the related Marburg virus.
Using a technology called cell-free ribosome display; the researchers generated two synthetic antibodies that bind to all six Ebola and Marburg viruses. The research involved the use of non-hazardous proteins that sit on the surface of Ebola and Marburg viruses. Because the actual viruses were not used in the study; there was no risk of infection to researchers or the public.
Also, the report read in part, “Ebola and Marburg viruses can cause severe bleeding and organ failure, with fatality rates reaching 90 percent in some outbreaks. The diseases spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee or bat.
So far, research show that the Ebola and Marburg viruses belong to a class of viruses native to Africa called filo viruses. These are typical examples of epidemic diseases that appear and spread quickly, often in remote areas with little or no public health infrastructure. Between 2013 – 2016, there were major outbreaks of the virus across West Africa. Now, there are four known types of Ebola virus and two know types of Marburg virus. And up till date, there is no effective vaccine or drug to treat the disease.