Perspective abstract
Nature Immunology 8, 1159 - 1164 (2007)
Published online: 19 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/ni1519
Immunopathology of highly virulent pathogens: insights from Ebola virus
Carisa A Zampieri1,2, Nancy J Sullivan1 & Gary J Nabel1
Abstract
Ebola virus is a highly virulent pathogen capable of inducing a frequently lethal hemorrhagic fever syndrome. Accumulating evidence indicates that the virus actively subverts both innate and adaptive immune responses and triggers harmful inflammatory responses as it inflicts direct tissue damage. The host immune system is ultimately overwhelmed by a combination of inflammatory factors and virus-induced cell damage, particularly in the liver and vasculature, often leading to death from septic shock. We summarize the mechanisms of immune dysregulation and virus-mediated cell damage in Ebola virus–infected patients. Future approaches to prevention and treatment of infection will be guided by answers to unresolved questions about interspecies transmission, molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, and protective adaptive and innate immune responses to Ebola virus.
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Room 4502, Building 40, MSC-3005, 40 Convent Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3005, USA.
- Present address: Department of Cancer Biology, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6142, USA.
Correspondence to: Gary J Nabel1 e-mail: gnabel@nih.gov
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