Publications by authors named "Jomah Kollie"
Article Synopsis
- Ebola virus persistence in survivors' semen may contribute to recent outbreaks in places like Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting this study of 131 male EVD survivors in Liberia.
- The study aimed to categorize participants as "early clearers" or "late clearers" based on their EBOV detection in semen, while also collecting clinical history and conducting medical examinations.
- Findings indicated that older age, milder initial symptoms, and specific immune markers (IgG3 levels and HLA-C*03:04 allele) were linked to longer EBOV persistence in semen, suggesting potential connections to other areas in the body where the virus might hide.
Article Synopsis
- A study on male survivors of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Liberia evaluated immune responses and persistence of the Ebola virus in blood and semen.
- All 126 participants tested negative for the Ebola virus in blood; however, 1 out of 23 participants with negative antibodies produced specific antibodies when stimulated.
- The findings suggest that the blood of EVD survivors is unlikely to transmit the virus, and the variability in antibody responses indicates that a lack of antibodies should not automatically exclude someone from being considered an EVD survivor.
Ebola virus is known to persist in semen of male survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD). However, maximum duration of, or risk factors for, virus persistence are unknown. We report an EVD survivor with preexisting HIV infection, whose semen was positive for Ebola virus RNA 565 days after recovery from EVD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccording to World Health Organization (WHO) data, the Ebola virus disease (Ebola) outbreak that began in West Africa in 2014 has resulted in 28,603 cases and 11,301 deaths (1). In March 2015, epidemiologic investigation and genetic sequencing in Liberia implicated sexual transmission from a male Ebola survivor, with Ebola virus detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 199 days after symptom onset (2,3), far exceeding the 101 days reported from an earlier Ebola outbreak (4). In response, WHO released interim guidelines recommending that all male survivors, in addition to receiving condoms and sexual risk reduction counseling at discharge from an Ebola treatment unit (ETU), be offered semen testing for Ebola virus RNA by RT-PCR 3 months after disease onset, and every month thereafter until two consecutive semen specimens collected at least 1 week apart test negative for Ebola virus RNA (5).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ebola virus has been detected in semen of Ebola virus disease survivors after recovery. Liberia's Men's Health Screening Program (MHSP) offers Ebola virus disease survivors semen testing for Ebola virus. We present preliminary results and behavioural outcomes from the first national semen testing programme for Ebola virus.
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