The supposed cure that American missionaries received after being infected with the Ebola virus in West Africa has been largely publicized over the past few days, but questions still persist as to where this "miracle drug" actually came from. A commentary from Dr. Scott Podolsky claims that the groundwork for this drug came from research from the 19th century.
Ebola is one of the world's most virulent diseases and has a recorded mortality rate of 90%. The symptoms of the disease include acute weakness, abrupt onset of fever, headache, muscle aches, and sore throat. Presently, the only treatment for Ebola is intensive supportive care. The infected missionaries, however, have received an experimental drug from one of the pharmaceutical companies who have been testing potential Ebola remedies. Zmapp was previously tested on monkeys and seem to be having a profound therapeutic effect on the patients.
Dr. Podolsky, an associate professor at the Global Health and Social Medicine department at Harvard Medical School said that ZMapp is very much similar to the developmental drugs that were being pioneered towards the end of the 19th century. It is a "three-mouse monoclonal antibody" that was made by collecting the antibodies that were produced in the bodies of mice after being exposed to the Ebola virus, mirroring the passive serotherapy technique that originated over a century ago. The passive serotherapy method began right after the discoveries made by historical scientists, Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur, who identified the causative agents of diseases such as diphtheria, anthrax, and pneumonia.
Although the American missionaries seem to be responding well to this type of treatment, there is still the question of whether it can also be successfully administered to the hundreds of others still inflicted in West Africa. In any case, there is still a long way to go before the full potential of the ZMapp drug is established towards curing the Ebola virus
