Researchers at Boston University say they have detected signs that the deadly Ebola virus causes an immune response in monkeys four days before they begin exhibiting symptoms.
More research is needed, but the discovery raises the prospect of diagnosing the disease earlier in humans, allowing earlier treatment to help patients and earlier quarantine to control breakouts, the university said in a statement Wednesday.
“Right now, we wait for diagnosis until the virus spills out of primary infection sites into the blood,” says Emily Speranza, who recently received her doctorate from Boston University’s bioinformatics program and is one of the first authors on the paper. “At that point, it’s already tremendously far along.”
“If you can start treating someone very, very early on after exposure, they’re less likely to develop really severe disease,” Speranza said in the statement. “And if you can identify people who are sick before they even show symptoms, you can better quarantine and actually control outbreaks.”