The Use of Ebola Convalescent Plasma to Treat Ebola Virus Disease in Resource-Constrained Settings: A Perspective From the Field

van Griensven, Johan; De Weiggheleire, Anja; Delamou, Alexandre; Smith, Peter G.; Edwards, Tansy; Vandekerckhove, Philippe; Bah, Elhadj Ibrahima; Colebunders, Robert; Herve, Isola; Lazaygues, Catherine; Haba, Nyankoye; Lynen, Lutgarde

The successful use of ZMapp (an antibody cocktail comprising 3 Ebola virus-specific recombinant monoclonal antibodies) for treatment of EVD in non-human primate models, even when administration is delayed until 5 days after a supralethal viral challenge, provides proof of concept of antibody-based therapy for EVD [16] . Similarly, the use of immunoglobulin fractions from convalescent animals is effective for treating EVD in nonhuman primates [17] . Earlier treatment attempts with monoclonal antibodies or immunoglobulins might have failed because antibody concentrations were too low, antibodies had too narrow a spectrum (eg, 1 monoclonal only), or because treatment was not given repeatedly (ZMapp is given 3 times [days 0, 3, 6]).