People got immunity to rabies
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Several Peruvians could survive after being infected with the rabies virus. Moreover, no one treated people. This case made scientists think about the existence of a certain protective mechanism.
The research team led by Amy Gilbert from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the staff of the Peruvian Ministry of Health went to two communities living in part of the Peruvian Amazon. There periodically occur outbreaks of rabies (the disease is caused by bats).
Scientists took a blood sample of 63 people. It turned out that seven of the body had antibodies to rabies. In one case, a person received an earlier vaccine, but in others - no. Before that, they were already bitten by mice. Hence, people were able to cope with rabies and develop immunity.
However, the next point remains unclear: did they really get sick or just encountered the virus in a small concentration. Also, it is not known what level of antibodies should be in order to provide protection from rabies. In theory, this discovery can lead to the creation of more effective therapies.
Meanwhile, doctors can only reduce the manifestation of symptoms. True, it is known that in 2005, an American Gina Gies recovered from infection with the virus (the girl was not vaccinated). She was injected into an artificial coma, and then given a means of stimulating immunity. This case is known as the Milwauk Protocol. A week later, Gys was withdrawn from a coma and successfully continued treatment as usual.
In humans, the appearance of symptoms of rabies inevitably leads to death. Cases of recovery after the onset of symptoms of rabies have not been proven: by 2011, only nine cases of recovery from rabies have been known, which have not been confirmed by laboratory tests. In June 2011, it was reported that the doctors of the Children's Hospital of the University of California were able to cure the rabies 8-year-old Prishos Reynold. Thus, rabies is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases (along with HIV, tetanus and some other diseases). However, the symptoms of rabies may not appear if the number of viruses in the body is small or the person is immune to the disease.
Every year in the world, 55,000 people die from a rabies disease transmitted to them from animals. At the same time, in developed and some other countries, the incidence of a person is significantly (by several orders of magnitude) lower, since timely anti-rabies assistance is organized there.
[