Search

Background: Convalescent plasma has been used to treat many viral diseases including Ebola. The manufacture of a purified anti-Ebola virus (EBOV) intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) from pooled convalescent plasma is described in this paper.Methods: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) targeting an EBOV surface glycoprotein antigen was used to determine the immunoglobulin titer of pooled plasma and purified anti-EBOV IVIG. Anti-EBOV IVIG was also tested in neutralization assays using a vesicular stomatitis virus pseudovirion expressing EBOV glycoprotein on its surface and with live EBOV. Finally, the efficacy of the anti-EBOV IVIG was assessed in a mouse model of EBOV infection.Results: In the ELISA, the anti-EBOV IVIG was shown to have a 7-fold increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG) titer over pooled convalescent plasma. In both the pseudovirion and live virus assays, the anti-EBOV IVIG showed approximately 5- to 6-fold increased potency over pooled plasma. Anti-EBOV IVIG also significantly improved survivability in mice infected with the virus when administered concurrently or 2 days after infection.Conclusions: These data support this purified anti-EBOV IVIG merits additional investigation and clinical trials for treatment and postexposure prophylaxis of Ebola virus disease. The experience gained can be applied to manufacture hyperimmune globulins against other emerging viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic killed millions worldwide and hundreds of thousands in the United States. This article studies the impact of air pollution on pandemic mortality. The analysis combines a panel dataset on infant and all-age mortality with a novel measure of air pollution based on the burning of coal in a large sample of U.S. cities. We estimate that air pollution contributed significantly to pandemic mortality. Cities that used more coal experienced tens of thousands of excess deaths in 1918 relative to cities that used less coal with similar pre-pandemic socioeconomic conditions and baseline health. Factors related to poverty, public health, and the timing of onset also affected pandemic mortality. The findings support recent medical evidence on the link between air pollution and influenza infection, and suggest that poor air quality was an important cause of mortality during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]