Open AccessEbola virus infection induces autoimmunity against dsDNA and HSP60
Author(s) -
Hugues Fausther-Bovendo,
Xiangguo Qiu,
Stuart McCorrister,
Garrett Westmacott,
Paul Sandstrom,
Concetta Castilletti,
Antonino Di,
Giuseppe Ippolito,
Gary P. Kobinger
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep42147
Subject(s) - autoantibody , autoimmunity , immunology , polyclonal antibodies , ebola virus , western blot , antibody , medicine , flow cytometry , virology , biology , virus , gene , biochemistry
Ebola virus (EBOV) survivors are affected by a variety of serious illnesses of unknown origin for years after viral clearance from the circulation. Identifying the causes of these persistent illnesses is paramount to develop appropriate therapeutic protocols. In this study, using mouse and non-human primates which survived EBOV challenge, ELISA, western blot, mass spectrometry and flow cytometry were used to screen for autoantibodies, identify their main targets, investigate the mechanism behind their induction and monitor autoantibodies accumulation in various tissues. In infected mice and NHP, polyclonal B cell activation and autoantigens secretion induced autoantibodies against dsDNA and heat shock protein 60 as well as antibody accumulation in tissues associated with long-term clinical manifestations in humans. Finally, the presence of these autoantibodies was confirmed in human EBOV survivors. Overall, this study supports the concept that autoimmunity is a causative parameter that contributes to the various illnesses observed in EBOV survivors.