Preparation and use of hyperimmune serum for prophylaxis and therapy of Ebola virus infections

To obtain hyperimmune serum appropriate for the treatment of filovirus infe ction, methods were developed to immunize nonsusceptible animals with live Ebola (EBO) virus preparations, Immune plasma with high ELISA and neutraliz ation-specific antibody titers was obtained by multiple immunization of she ep and goats with preparations of Live EBO virus. Goat immunoglobulin was p repared by Cohn's method and tested on guinea pigs, using an EBO virus stra in that is highly pathogenic for guinea pigs. Prophylaxis with these immuno globulins within 48 h after infection was effective in challenge experiment s, with a log(10) prophylaxis index as high as 1.92 +/- 0.52. Other studies have shown that equine anti-EBO virus immunoglobulins worked well in baboo ns. The goat immunoglobulins were also tested in preclinical trials on labo ratory animals; after being positively evaluated, they were administered to volunteers in clinical trials for biologic safety and reactivity, and they were administered to researchers suspected of becoming infected with EBO d uring their experimental work. These immunoglobulins may be useful for the emergency treatment of persons accidentally infected with EBO.