Scientists have known for some time that the closer a person with Ebola is to death, the more infectious they are. A dead body with Ebola has been frequently referred to as a “viral bomb.” But what was unclear was how long bodies remained infectious. Now, researchers working for the National Institutes of Health in Hamilton, Montana released new findings on Thursday showing the Ebola virus may remain infectious in dead bodies for a week, and detectable for 1o weeks.
In the study, the researchers infected five macaque monkeys—a species they believe can serve as models for humans—with Ebola, then eventually euthanized them. They placed the dead monkeys in a temperature- and environment-controlled chamber to simulate the climate of West Africa. Over several weeks, the researchers sampled and swabbed the tissue of their nose, mouth, blood, lung, spleen, liver and muscle.
Life Returns to Normal After Deadly Ebola Outbreak
Boys play on the beach next to the Atlantic Ocean in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA girl collects her family's laundry after drying it on a rooftop in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesChildren sit outside her home in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesChildren celebrate a soccer goal while playing in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA boy hangs off a fishing boat next to the Atlantic Ocean in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesEbola survivor and nurse's aid Benetha Coleman comforts an infant girl with Ebola symptoms in the high-risk area of the Doctors Without Borders' Ebola Treatment Unit on Jan. 26, 2015 in Paynesville, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesGroom Clarence Murvee takes his bride Bindu Quaye by the waist while entering their wedding reception on Jan. 24, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA pile of broken chairs and desks lie in the corner of the Tubman High School gymnasium on Jan. 27, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA boy carries fried fish for sale in the West Point township on Jan. 24, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA congregation stands during a Sunday service at the Bethel World Outreach Church in the West Point township on Jan. 25, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesPeople await medical treatment in the outpatient lounge of Redemption Hospital, formerly an Ebola holding center, on Feb. 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesPeople await treatment in the outpatient lounge of Redemption Hospital, formerly an Ebola holding center, on Feb. 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA placard with information on identifying Ebola symptoms lies in the outpatient waiting room of Redemption Hospital, formerly an Ebola holding center, on Feb. 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesA nurse administers an injection on the first day of the Ebola vaccine study being conducted at Redemption Hospital, formerly an Ebola holding center, on Feb. 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesWorkers renovate a pediatric ward which had been used as an Ebola holding center at Redemption Hospital on Jan. 29, 2015 near Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesA burial team member wearing personal protective equipment stands for decontamination spray at the U.S.-built cemetery for safe burials on Jan. 27, 2015 in Disco Hill, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA Liberian Red Cross burial team prepares to test the body of a toddler for Ebola while collecting it from a home in the West Point township on Jan. 28, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesCross maker Anthony Johnny prepares fresh grave markers for the Christian section of the U.S.-built cemetery for safe burials on Jan. 27, 2015 in Disco Hill, Liberia.
John Moore－Getty ImagesMidwife Maima Johnson hands a newborn girl to mother Cecelia Mensah, 20, after delivering the child at the Star of the Sea Health Center on Jan. 29, 2015 in the West Point township of Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesA grave digger works in the U.S.-built cemetery for "safe burials" on Jan. 27, 2015 in Disco Hill, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesA caretaker stands in a kindergarten on Jan. 27, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesA Liberian Red Cross burial team carries a body for a safe burial after collecting it from a home in the West Point township on Jan. 29, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesDecontaminated stretchers and Ebola-fighting material stand aside in the Doctors Without Borders' Ebola Treatment Unit, on Jan. 26, 2015 in Paynesville, Liberia. John Moore－Getty ImagesMattresses and bed frames burn as Doctors Without Borders , staff dismantle much of the Ebola Treatment Unit, on Jan. 31, 2015 in Paynesville, Liberia.John Moore－Getty ImagesA young girl stands outside her home in the West Point township on Jan. 31, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore－Getty Images
They concluded that infectious Ebola virus remained in the macaques’ organs for three days, and in their blood for seven days, after death. Viral RNA, which wasn’t infectious, was still detectable for 10 weeks.
The new findings underline the continued need for vigilance when burying the bodies of Ebola victims, as well as safer funeral practices. In the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the spread of the virus could often be traced to funerals. Prior to massive education efforts, people living in the three affected countries often participated in intimate practices with the dead. In Liberia, for example, washing and kissing the corpse was a common custom.
The research also gives scientists a better understanding of how long the virus can remain in dead animals, since an outbreak is is typically spurred from contact between an infected animal and a human. It also provides a warning for researchers in the field who may handle primate carcasses, the researchers note.
