Marburg Virus Reservoir May Have Been Discovered - Fruit Bats - Reuters

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON - Fruit bats that roost in caves are apparently the source of Marburg virus, which causes a deadly hemorrhagic fever related to Ebola virus, researchers said on Tuesday.

Tests of 1,100 bats of various species turned up the virus in only one common species of fruit bats, the team at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at the Medical Research Institute in Franceville, Gabon, and elsewhere reported. The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, suggests that Marburg may be more common than previously thought.

"Furthermore, this is the first report of Marburg virus being present in this area of Africa, thus extending the known range of the virus," the researchers wrote.

"These data imply that more areas are at risk for Marburg hemorrhagic fever outbreaks than previously realized and correspond well with a recently published report in which three species of fruit bats were demonstrated to be likely reservoirs for Ebola virus."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43845/story.htm

[phantom power]

1. Eric the hemorrhagic fever reservoir (and fruit bat)

[hatrack]

4. "And the Lord did grin, and the people did rejoice . . . .

and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu--"

MAYNARD:

Skip a bit, Brother.

[phantom power]

5. and there was much rejoic -- I mean hemmorhaging.

[redqueen]

2. First report of its presence in Africa?

Are they on drugs?

[kestrel91316]

6. IIRC the outbreak of Marburg virus infection happened in

Marburg, Germany (which is where it got its name).


From Wikipedia:
Early outbreaks
This virus was first documented in 1967, when 31 people became ill in the German town of Marburg, after which it is named, as well as in Frankfurt am Main and the then Yugoslavian city of Belgrade. The outbreak involved 25 primary infections, with 7 deaths, and 6 secondary cases, with no deaths. The primary infections were in laboratory staff exposed to the Marburg virus while working with monkeys or their tissues. The secondary cases involved two doctors, a nurse, a post-mortem attendant, and the wife of a veterinarian. All secondary cases had direct contact, usually involving blood, with a primary case. Both doctors became infected through accidental skin pricks when drawing blood from patients.

The outbreak was traced to infected African grivets of the species Cercopithecus aethiops taken from Uganda and used in developing polio vaccines. The monkeys were imported by Behringwerke, a Marburg company founded by the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, Emil von Behring. The company, which at the time was owned by Hoechst, was originally set up to develop sera against tetanus and diphtheria.

In 1975, three people in the South African town of Johannesburg were infected by the Marburg virus by a man returning from Zimbabwe, resulting in one death. Two similar cases in 1980 and 1987 occurred in Kenya after European visitors went to Kitum Cave. Both later died. The next major outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1998 to 2000, where 123 of 149 cases were fatal. This outbreak originated with miners in Durba and Watsa in Orientale, Congo.

[redqueen]

7. Sure, the first outbreak...

but the other case in South Africa? The person had visited some other country in Africa... and... well, South Africa is still Africa, I'm pretty sure.

[kestrel91316]

10. South Africa is a different part of Africa than Gabon.

[redqueen]

12. Thanks again!

Did you not notice where I thanked you for pointing out my mistake already?

Thanks for making sure I didn't miss it the first time!

jesus sufferin christ on a fuckin pogo stick

[kestrel91316]

15. Somebody miss their naptime?

[kestrel91316]

8. It says: first report of it in THIS area of Africa.

RIF.

[redqueen]

9. RIF?

Does that mean read it? I did, thanks... I misssed a word.

Sorry for not being Jesus! :hi:

[kestrel91316]

11. Reading is Fundamental. It means have a closer look.

[redqueen]

13. Thanks yet again!

You're a real charmer!

:rofl:

[kestrel91316]

16. Just squelching misinformation, misconceptions, and outright

lies one post at a time.

Feel free to put me on ignore. That's what it's there for.

Oh, and BTW, your name suits you admirably:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Hearts_%28Alice_character%29

"When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!""

[redqueen]

17. i don't like ignore

even a broken watch is right twice a day, right? :)

and i really did mean thanks for the FIRST time you pointed out my mistake



and my name is from the red queen theory... not the book... :hi:

[phantom power]

18. the red queen theory about deforming fitness landscapes?

[redqueen]

19. urrrr no... not that one

about competition in complex systems


but that one sounds interesting!


oh! on edit, it appears they are one and the same :)

[phantom power]

20. yeah, that one.

:toast:

[Cabcere]

3. Very interesting - thanks for posting this!

I wrote a term paper on the Marburg virus (specifically, the 2004-2005 outbreak in Angola) for a class on African concepts of disease and medicine last semester - fascinating stuff, although of course very tragic and scary. Definitely going to bookmark this article for later reference! :hi:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

14. I can recall some ten years ago...

...when I read Hot Zone there was suspicion that bats might be the carriers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_Zone


Here's a youtube clip about vaccine development for Marburg:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YoMxfy-vw8w