A novel Ebola vaccine based on the glycoprotein of the 2014 strain instead of the 1976 Zaire virus is safe and immunogenic, according to Feng-Cai Zhu and associates.
One hundred twenty participants were separated into three groups: One group received placebo, one group received low-dose vaccine, and one group received high-dose vaccine. Glycoprotein-specific antibodies were significantly higher in the low-dose and high-dose groups at both 14 and 28 days, compared with placebo. About two-thirds of participants reported at least one adverse reaction, with the most common being mild pain around the injection site, which was reported by 42% of patients (Lancet 2015 March 24 [doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60553-0]).
“The mutation of Ebola virus might compromise the immunogenicity of the Ebola vaccines based on the 1976 Zaire strain; therefore, we expected that the vaccine based on the 2014 Guinea strain could be more efficient and specific to protect against the presently epidemic Ebola disease. However, more evidence about protectiveness is needed to establish whether the vaccine based on the 2014 strain is really more beneficial than that based on the 1976 Zaire strain,” the researchers noted. They are planning “to assess the persistence of the specific immune response by following up the vaccine recipients of this study” beyond the 28 days.
To read the full study in the Lancet, click here.