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Ebola Cousin Found in Fruit Bats
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by ScienceDave | August 21, 2007 at 10:59 pm
738 views | 4 Recommendations | 1 comment
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The history Marbug fever is a relatively short one, as it was only discovered 40 years ago in Germany and Yugoslavia. Ugandan green monkey's had been harboring the virus when laboratory technicians contracted it - seven deaths ensued.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "...the two diseases are clinically almost indistinguishable. Both diseases are rare, but have a capacity to cause dramatic outbreaks with high fatality. Historically, outbreaks have tended to reach the attention of health authorities only after transmission has been amplified by inadequate infection control in health care settings." [source]
Since the initial outbreak, only 7 others have been recorded, all of which have been isolated to African countries. The most recent outbreak in Angolia is still ongoing, according to WHO, and has killed 150 of the 163 individuals who contracted it between 2004-2005.
“Identifying Marburg infection in the African fruit bats brings us one step closer to understanding this deadly disease,” says Dr. Eric Leroy of CIRMF, corresponding author on the paper......“From a public health perspective, this discovery offers us new insight into the transmission of Marburg virus and potentially other filoviruses,” says Dr. Jonathan Towner, senior microbiologist at the CDC and lead author on the publication. The publication coincides with recent reports of Marburg infection among Ugandan miners.
Here's coverage on the Ugandan mine, and the bats inside...
A WHO official said that 300 fruit and insectivorous bats had been
captured in the mine so far in an attempt to find out if they are the
source of the deadly virus.The natural reservoirs for Marburg, and its notorious cousin Ebola,
are thought to be in the African tropical forest, but the precise
animal source remains unknown."Today we are focusing on the bats because they are the main mammals
in the mine," WHO scientist Pierre Formenty said by telephone from
Uganda. "The victim was probably infected in the mine."
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ScienceDave
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 05:50 on August 22nd, 2007
nouseforadave, great science news as always -- thanks for this.