Gene expression profiling of blood of Ebola virus disease survivors and Healthy donors by Next Generation Sequencing

Clinical follow-up of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors revealed a persistence of clinical symptoms and higher risk of mortality. Long-term analyses of the immune and inflammatory profiles of EVD survivors are currently lacking. Here, we evaluate gene expression profiles in 26 Guinean Ebola virus disease survivors (EBOV_S) and 33 Healthy donnors (HD). We show a persistent increase of several biomarkers of inflammation, immune activation and gut tissue damage in EBOV_S compared to healthy donors living in the same area. Gene expression profiling in blood revealed a significant enrichment in genes associated with antiviral responses in EBOV_S. Analysis of whole-blood gene expression profiles of 26 Ebola virus disease survivors and 33 Healthy donnors