Posted by Efcacious therapeutics for Ebola virus disease are in great demand. Ebola virus infections mediated by mucosal exposure, and aerosolization in particular, present a novel challenge due to nontypical massive early infection of respiratory lymphoid tissues. A randomized and blinded study was performed to compare outcomes from vehicle-treated and remdesivir-treated rhesus monkeys in a lethal model of infection resulting from aerosolized Ebola virus exposure. Remdesivir treatment initiated 4 days after exposure was associated with a signifcant survival beneft, signifcant reduction in serum viral titer, and improvements in clinical pathology biomarker levels and lung histology compared to vehicle treatment. These observations indicate that remdesivir may have value in countering aerosol-induced Ebola virus disease.
The concern for Ebola virus to be used as a biological weapon via small-particle aerosols has prompted the characterization of flovirus disease in animal models following aerosolized Ebola virus exposure and has raised the question of whether available medical countermeasures are efective in such scenarios.
Warren et al. (2021) Remdesivir is efficacious in rhesus monkeys exposed to aerosolized Ebola virus. Sci Rep 11(1):19458. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-98971-0.