Observational studyThe Lancet. Microbe2022
Evaluation of viral load in patients with Ebola virus disease in Liberia: a retrospective observational study.
Observational study in The Lancet. Microbe, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Periodic shifts in viral load increase risk of Hendra virus spillover fromScience advances · 2026Article
- Host-virus association databases as tools for understanding viral spillover at varying scales.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Review
- Ebola virus disease: A persistent challenge in global health security.Open veterinary journal · 2026Review
- A Framework for Assessing the Opportunity for Advanced Research, Development, and Regulatory Approval of Medical Countermeasures: A Component of BARDA's Emerging Infectious Diseases Strategy.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Global stability for a cumulative release Ebola epidemic model from the corpses and infected individuals.Infectious Disease Modelling · 2025Article
- Mapping of susceptibility loci for Ebola virus pathogenesis in mice.Cell reports · 2024Article
- Genetic Testing Technology Assisting in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Suppurative Arthritis and Extensive Migratory Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Caused by Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus Disease: A Case Report and Review.Infection and drug resistance · 2024Article
- Absolute quantification ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundViral load in patients with Ebola virus disease affects case fatality rate and is an important parameter used for diagnostic cutoffs, stratification in randomised controlled trials, and epidemiological studies. However, viral load in Ebola virus disease is currently estimated using numerous different assays and protocols that were not developed or validated for this purpose. Here, our aim was to conduct a laboratory-based re-evaluation of the viral loads of a large cohort of Liberian patients with Ebola virus disease and analyse these data in the broader context of the west Africa epidemic.
methodsIn this retrospective observational study, whole blood samples from patients at the Eternal Love Winning Africa Ebola treatment unit (Monrovia, Liberia) were re-extracted with an optimised protocol and analysed by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) using a novel semi-strand specific assay to measure viral load. To allow for more direct comparisons, the ddPCR viral loads were also back-calculated to cycle threshold (C
findingsBetween Aug 28 and Dec 18, 2014, 727 whole blood samples from 528 individuals were collected. 463 (64%) were first-draw samples and 409 (56%) were from patients positive for Ebola virus (EBOV), species Zaire ebolavirus. Of the 307 first-draw EBOV-positive samples, 127 (41%) were from survivors and 180 (59%) were from non-survivors; 155 (50%) were women, 145 (47%) were men, and seven (2%) were not recorded, and the mean age was 29·3 (SD 15·0) years for women and 31·8 (SD 14·8) years for men. Survivors had significantly lower mean viral loads at presentation than non-survivors in both the reanalysed dataset (5·61 [95% CI 5·34-5·87] vs 7·19 [6·99-7·38] log
interpretationInaccurate viral load estimation from diagnostic C
fundingIntramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
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Registered trials
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