Abstract
Several human and animal Ebola outbreaks have occurred over the past 4 years in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. The human outbreaks consisted of multiple simultaneous epidemics caused by different viral strains, and each epidemic resulted from the handling of a distinct gorilla, chimpanzee, or duiker carcass. These animal populations declined markedly during human Ebola outbreaks, apparently as a result of Ebola infection. Recovered carcasses were infected by a variety of Ebola strains, suggesting that Ebola outbreaks in great apes result from multiple virus introductions from the natural host. Surveillance of animal mortality may help to predict and prevent human Ebola outbreaks.
Publication types
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
- Africa, Central / epidemiology
- Animals
- Animals, Wild / virology*
- Ape Diseases / epidemiology*
- Ape Diseases / virology
- Base Sequence
- Disease Outbreaks* / veterinary
- Disease Reservoirs
- Ebolavirus / classification
- Ebolavirus / genetics*
- Ebolavirus / isolation & purification
- Gabon / epidemiology
- Genes, Viral
- Gorilla gorilla / virology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / epidemiology*
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / transmission
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / veterinary*
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / virology
- Humans
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Pan troglodytes / virology
- Population Density
- Population Surveillance
- Ruminants / virology
- Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics
Substances
- Viral Envelope Proteins
- envelope glycoprotein, Ebola virus
Associated data
- GENBANK/AY526098
- GENBANK/AY526099
- GENBANK/AY526100
- GENBANK/AY526101
- GENBANK/AY526102
- GENBANK/AY526103
- GENBANK/AY526104
- GENBANK/AY526105