Dr Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol are both in a "stable but grave condition", according to an aid organisation, although his condition deteriorated slightly overnight.
The North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse charity said in a statement: "Yesterday, an experimental serum arrived in the country, but there was only enough for one person. Dr Brantly asked that it be given to Nancy Writebol."
The charity also said Dr Brantly, 33, had been given a unit of blood from a 14-year-old boy who survived ebola because of the American's medical care. It is hoped the boy may have developed antibodies that could help Dr Brantly fight off the infection, which has no vaccine or specific treatment.
The ebola outbreak is the worst in history and has killed 729 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which announced a $100m plan to tackle the disease.
In Sierra Leone, which accounts for around a third of all deaths from the disease, President Ernest Bai Koroma declared a state of emergency.
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