Studies of reservoir hosts for Marburg virus

Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Dec;13(12):1847-51. doi: 10.3201/eid1312.071115.

Abstract

To determine reservoir hosts for Marburg virus (MARV), we examined the fauna of a mine in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mine was associated with a protracted outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever during 1998-2000. We found MARV nucleic acid in 12 bats, comprising 3.0%-3.6% of 2 species of insectivorous bat and 1 species of fruit bat. We found antibody to the virus in the serum of 9.7% of 1 of the insectivorous species and in 20.5% of the fruit bat species, but attempts to isolate virus were unsuccessful.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / analysis
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology
  • Chiroptera / classification
  • Chiroptera / immunology
  • Chiroptera / virology*
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Marburgvirus / genetics
  • Marburgvirus / immunology*
  • Marburgvirus / isolation & purification*
  • Mining
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • RNA, Viral / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • RNA, Viral