Marburg virus identified in West African bats for the first time
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Researchers have detected an Angola-like strain of Marburg virus in West African bats for the first time since it was first identified in humans in 2005, according to a study in Nature Communications.
“Despite 40 years of research, the reservoir of Ebola virus is still unknown. As a result, we know almost nothing about the transmission dynamics of Ebola virus in its natural host and remain extremely vulnerable to future outbreaks,” Tracey Goldstein, PhD, associate director of the One Health Institute, director of the One Health Institute Laboratory and lab director of the PREDICT Project at UC Davis, told Healio. “After the Ebola virus outbreak ended in West Africa, we initiated a survey as a part of USAID PREDICT to try to identify the natural reservoir of Ebola Zaire and identify other filoviruses that may be circulating in animals. We have a broad approach, capturing many different species of bat in many parts of the country.”
In a collaborative effort between the CDC, Njala University, UC Davis, USAID-PREDICT, and the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone, researchers captured 1,755 bats from 42 species in four districts throughout Sierra Leone (Moyamba, Kailahun, Koinadugu and Kono), and sampled them, testing for five filoviruses — Ebola virus, Tai Forest virus, Bundibugyo virus, Marburg virus and Ravn virus.
According to Goldstein, they found strains of Marburg virus in 11 (2.5%) bats in three different locations in Sierra Leone — including the strain that caused the Angola strain, which has led to outbreaks in humans. She added that this is the first time scientists have detected these Angola-like strains in bats.
Goldstein and colleagues noted in the study that this information was “importantly” identified before any known outbreaks of Marburg virus disease in Sierra Leone. They used the identification of the strain to implement evidence-based public health message to communities at risk for Marburg virus spillover.
“First, this work highlights that these viruses are much more widely distributed than previously thought. We also found the virus in advance of any reported cases of human illness in Sierra Leone, so this is a huge success, and exactly what projects like ours were deigned to do,” Goldstein said. “Now, we can work with public health officials and doctors to include Marburg virus among the possible causes when diagnosing hemorrhagic fever cases in the region and also to work with labs to make sure they can test for the virus.” – by Caitlyn Stulpin
Disclosure: Goldstein reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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