Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a severe filovirus-caused disease related to Ebola, was first identified in European research facilities in 1967 after outbreaks traced to infected monkeys imported from Uganda. Only a few sporadic cases were reported until the 1998-2000 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The team recorded a fatality rate of 83 percent for that outbreak. Young male miners comprised 52 percent of the cases, suggesting that exposure in underground mines was a factor in the spread of the disease. The discovery of multiple different genetic variants of the virus indicates that the two-year outbreak was fueled by repeated new introductions of the virus into humans from the primary reservoir, rather than simply a single introduction followed by person-to-person spread.
Bausch's study enhances our understanding of Marburg virus, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list as a "select agent" that may potentially be used in bioterrorism. There is currently no approved treatment or vaccine for the disease.
Source: Newswise
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