Expert: Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey 'little risk' to others
The persistent Ebola infection that has re-hospitalised British nurse Pauline Cafferkey presents very little risk to others, a microbiology expert has said.
Dr Edward Wright, Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at University of Westminster, has told ITV News that the levels of virus likely to have been found in Ms Cafferkey would be too low to be a serious risk to the medics treating her.
"The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by direct contact with blood or bodily when the patient is symptomatic. It's unlikely that [Ms Cafferkey] would be a risk to anyone," Dr Wright said.
How did Ebola 'reappear' in Ms Cafferkey?
The virus can live on in extremely low levels in compartmental sites like the eyeballs, the central nervous system and - in males - the testes. Ebola can avoid total eradication by a host's antibodies in these areas, sheltered from the main blood stream.
Is a patient ever fully cured of Ebola, then?
The vast majority are, yes. But after the most recent outbreak there has been a handful of cases where the disease persists at very low levels in a patient. It's hoped the data gathered by medics and researchers will explain why it lingers in some and not others.
How long can the virus linger in low levels in a body?
No-one knows for sure. Scientists researching Ebola found that it can last for at least six months in testes, for example.
Is Pauline's body better prepared to fight the disease a second time around?
Potentially, yes. Antibodies can be replicated by a memory immune response, which means her body should be able to tackle the virus. However, the response can diminish over time.
Dr Wright is an expert on highly pathogenic viruses such as Ebola, rabies/lyssaviruses and HIV/ AIDS.
He is currently working on the [Ebola check project]( http://www.westminster.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/science-and-technology/2014/university-of-westminster-awarded-620,000-grant-to-develop-ebola-diagnostic-device), funded by the UK government and the Wellcome Trust, which aims to develop a portable device which can test bodily fluids to diagnose the Ebola virus.