Immune and pathophysiological processes in baboons experimentally infectedwith Ebola virus adapted to guinea pigs

The dynamics of pathophysiological and immunological parameters monitored i n monkeys Papio hamadryas infected with the guinea pig-adapted Ebola virus strain demonstrated that this viral strain preserved its virulence for monk eys and caused the disease with characteristic features similar to those ca used by non-adapted Ebola virus. However, certain previously unknown patter ns have been observed: (1) prolongation of the febrile period by two days; (2) extended period was characterized by stability of serum biochemical par ameters; (3) marked vacuolization of the neutrophil cytoplasm; (4) appearan ce of juvenile lymphocytes on day 3 and by the end of the disease; and (5) a considerable increase in the spontaneous mononuclear proliferation (along with a decrease in the mitogen-induced proliferation) during the terminal stage of infection. The severity of pathological coagulation was found to c orrelate with the activity of serum cytokines - IFN-alpha and TNF-alpha: th eir activities increased about 250- and 100-fold, respectively. There was s ignificant alteration in the activity of natural killer cells, that dropped by the time of animal death. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.