Abstract
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe disease in humans and other primates caused by viruses in the genus Ebolavirus; the most pathogenic variants of the virus are the members of the species Zaire ebolavirus, with fatality rates as high as 40-90%. The 2014-15 Ebola outbreak is the largest in history, and there is an urgent need to develop effective countermeasures against EVD. Viral proteins such as VP35 block some of the interferon pathways in the host, and these mechanisms contribute to efficient viral replication in dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages. EVD is associated with rapid viral dissemination and marked dysregulation of the immune and vascular systems, which leads to hemorrhage and multiple organ failure. ChAd3-EBOV and VSV-EBOV have shown the most promise as vaccine candidates for EVD. Favipiravir, ZMapp, and TKM-Ebola-Guinea are emerging as promising drug candidates. Increasing data on the virus and EVD pathogenesis will accelerate the establishment of vaccines, antiviral drugs, and other novel strategies to counter EVD. This review provides an outline of the history, pathogenesis, and treatment of EVD and summarizes current efforts to develop vaccines against EVD.
