About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Latest Data on Ebola Virus Rules Out Rapid Accumulation of Deadlier Mutations

by Bidita Debnath on May 14, 2015 at 11:54 PM
Font : A-A+

Latest Data on Ebola Virus Rules Out Rapid Accumulation of Deadlier Mutations

The Ebola virus evolved as it spread through West Africa last year, but its mutation rate did not accelerate as rapidly as some had thought, reveals an analysis of the virus's genetic sequence data.

The data offer reassurance that the scope of the current epidemic did not involve the virus's evolution into a more virulent or deadlier form.

Advertisement

To reach this conclusion, a team led by Wu-Chun Cao, epidemiologist at the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity in Beijing, sequenced 175 Ebola virus genomes from people who were infected with the virus, including some who died.

Cao's group combined the data with sequences found by Pardis Sabeti, computational geneticist at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Advertisement

The combined data allowed Cao to track how the Ebola virus changed as it spread east to west across Sierra Leone. Ebola entered the country in May and reached the capital city, Freetown, in July.

The analysis found that the virus evolved as it spread to new areas but it did not change at a faster rate than it has in past outbreaks. There is no evidence that Ebola evolved harmful mutations as it spread through Sierra Leone.

"This is just the virus doing what it does," said David Robertson, computational and evolutionary biologist at University of Manchester.

The study appeared in the journal Nature.

Source: IANS
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest Tropical Disease News

Oral Cholera Vaccine Launched in India by Pharma Giants
Mumbai's TechInvention Lifecare and South Korean Eubiologics team up to introduce oral cholera vaccine in India after successful phase III clinical trial.
Evolving Threat of Dengue Virus in India
Scientists have found that the dengue virus has become more severe in India, highlighting the urgent need for vaccines that target the strains found in the country.
 Watch Out for Acute Kidney Disease as a Complication of Malaria
It is important to consider malarial infection in cases of acute kidney injury in someone with a travel history from endemic areas to improve treatment outcomes.
India's Malaria Vaccine Gets the Green Light for First Time in Ghana
Ghana approves the use of the University of Oxford's malaria vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), becoming the first country to adopt the new vaccine.
 Deadly Dengue Virus Hijacks Mosquito Saliva to Spread Sickness
The dengue virus combines molecules from its RNA with mosquito saliva to foil the human immune system and spread dengue fever and related diseases.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Latest Data on Ebola Virus Rules Out Rapid Accumulation of Deadlier Mutations Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests